Sunday, June 8, 2008

What is GM Food?

1. GM foods a.k.a genetically engineered (GE) foods

2. Contains ingredient(s) modified by a technique à gene technology

3. Alter certain characteristics of a food crop by:
- Introducing genetic material and proteins from another source
- Usually change one gene of the 30,000 — 50,000 or genes making up an organism.

4. Horticulturalists and biologists -> plants and animals -> cross breeding -> promote more desirable characteristics (tulips with new colours)

5. Discovery of genes -> control the development of an organism-> insert or remove genes -> eliminate generations of cross breeding for the desirable characteristics to appear

E.g -> Corn plant -> gene: resistant to insect attack
E.g -> Wheat plant -> gene: less water to grow -> more desirable for Australian countries

Taken from: http://www.foodstandards.govt.nz/foodmatters/gmfoods/





Diagram of how bacterial gene inserted to make crop pest resistant:


Reference:

GMAC. (2007). Genetically Modified Organism. Available at: http://www.gmac.gov.sg/Index_FAQs_Genetically_Modified_Organisms.html

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