As a general rule, humans like to know exactly what it is that they’re eating. In the past, this was an easy task – you could pick up a tomato, a can of corn and a pack of ground beef and be fairly confident that you knew where they came from. In recent years, however, scientists have become increasingly involved in food production, causing some confusion amongst consumers.
If you’re one of the people who sometimes feel overwhelmed when you start hearing terms such as genetic modification and selective breeding, don’t worry – we here at RedOrbit feel your pain, so we’ve created this handy little guide to help clear up some of the confusion.
Genetic modification (GMO)
Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been at the center of much of the discussion over scientifically-manipulated food. While a 2010 EU-funded study found that eating GMO foods is no more risky that eating conventionally-grown products, there are laws requiring these goods to carry special labels in over 60 countries, and some remain concerned about their safety.
According to the nonprofit George Mateljan Foundation, a GMO is defined as any organism that has had its core genetic material altered using genetic engineering techniques. In other words, the crops or creatures have had their DNA or RNA fundamentally changed in a laboratory in order to add or enhance specific traits, allowing them to grow larger, stay fresh longer, and so on.
A good example of this is the Arctic apple, a genetically-modified apple produced by a Canadian company, Okanagan Specialty Fruits, that received USDA approval earlier this week. The Arctic apple underwent a process called RNA interference (RNAi), which blocked a normally-occurring enzyme and kept the apple from turning brown after it had been sliced.
Selective breeding
Like genetic modification, selective breeding is performed in order to promote specific traits in a plant or animal. However, the selective breeding process does not involve making any changes to the core biological makeup of a plant’s genetic makeup – at least not directly. Rather, organisms which strongly exhibit specific characteristics are bred together to emphasize those traits.
Essentially, the organisms that undergo selective breeding are not themselves fundamentally altered by the process – they simply, through natural or artificial means, possess a trait deemed valuable that the breeders want to make sure is passed along to offspring. Those characteristics are strengthened with each generation as the selective breeding process is repeatedly used.
One example of selective breeding is the white Angus cattle produced by scientists at Climate Adaptive Genetics (CAG). By using spermatogonial stem cells (SSC) from selected bulls, CAG scientists are developing a heat-resistant form of cattle that is a mix between Black Angus and Brahma (or Nellore) cattle and could double global beef production within the next decade.
Here’s where it gets complicated
Dr. James West of CAG believes that his white angus cattle could help meet a growing demand for beef, but he is concerned that the public’s pervasive distrust of laboratory-engineered food could affect the acceptance of his product. He assured redOrbit he performed what’s considered “non-biotic recombination”, but admits that creating the white Angus did require some genes to be added or removed.
Specifically, he added the genes for a white coat and black skin from Silver Galloway cattle and the gene for short hair from Senepol cattle. The same result could have been accomplished after 30 to 40 years of waiting and problems relating to inbreeding, Dr. West explained, and the genes were only added in order to save time.
But isn’t that technically genetic modification?
Not necessarily. The genes extracted from other types of cows are placed into cloned Angus semen, with the intent that the cells will themselves decide to replace the regular DNA with the DNA that was introduced by the scientists. In CAG’s case, they make a site-specific nick in the DNA near where they want the recombination to occur, and when the cells look for something to fix the damage with, they find and use the newly-introduced piece of DNA.
In short, rather than going in and directly tinkering with the RNA or DNA of a plant or animal, the method used by Dr. West indirectly influences the development by causing damage to the cell, introducing a different way of fixing it, and fooling the cell into using the desired material to fix the problem. The new type of cell is then used for in vitro fertilization of cattle.
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Feature Image: Thinkstock
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