Title: Are They Safe? Biotech Food Crops and Products February 1, 2002 Karen Pesaresi Penner Kansas State University Food Science Institute
1Are They Safe? Biotech Food Crops and
ProductsFebruary 1, 2002Karen Pesaresi
PennerKansas State UniversityFood Science
Institute
2Biotech Products in Food Supply
- 1. Fermentation products
- Yeasts and molds used to make cheese, bread,
wine, beer, soy sauce - 2. Enzymes
- Lactase tablets to breakdown lactose in milk -
for allergies - Chymosin (rennet) for cheese
- manufacture
- Amylase in beer
33. Hormones
- Bovine growth hormone (rbst)
- Vitamin D added
- to milk Insulin
44. Whole foods/crops
- FLAVR SAVR, Endless Summer tomatoes
- Virus resistant squash
- Insect resistant potatoes, corn
- Herbicide resistant soybeans, canola
5Potential Benefits IFT Expert Report on
Biotechnology and Foods, 2000
- Enhanced food supply
- Improved nutritional quality rice, other foods
- Improved shelf life
- of fruits vegetables
- Reduced allergenicity
- rice, peanuts
6- Improved production agriculture
- Conversion of toxic soils to productive soils
- Increased environmentally friendly practices
regarding pesticides - Development of functional foods, vaccines, other
healthful products
7Public Uncertainty
- Public is NOT well-informed
- Public may see little or no benefit from
technologies -
- Lack of information and conflicting information
leads to confusion, emotional reactions and fear
for some
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9Acceptance of Technologies
- Public accepts new technologies with personal
benefits - rInsulin vs rBST
- Benefits of many bioengineered
products unknown or not perceived as
personal
10FDA and Food Safety
- U.S.Food and Drug Law requires food products to
be safe - Traditional foods considered safe, long history
- Exceptions
- some safe foods affect specific individuals
- safe foods may contain small amount of natural
toxins - New foods developed with conventional breeding,
or from other parts of the world considered safe
11rDNA Derived Foods and Ingredients
- Assessed for safety before introduction into
marketplace - 1992 FDA Risk Assessment focus on unique
characteristics of product - Safety standards for bioengineered products
actually greater than for conventional
12Potential Food Safety Effects
- Toxicants
- New Substances
- Nutrients
- Allergenicity
- Other Effects - Unintended
-
- -- IFT Expert Report on Biotechnology and
Foods, 2000
13Considerations in Safety Evaluations
- Substantial Equivalence based on comparison of
recombinant product with traditional product - Not an absolute guarantee of safety
- Process to establish that no NEW hazards have
been introduced into the plant or product - Toxins?
- Nutrient Effects? Proteins, fats, carbohydrates,
vitamins, minerals - Allergens?
14Substantial Equivalence
- A comparative approach focusing on the
determination of similarities and differences
between the genetically modified food and its
conventional counterpart aids in the
identification of potential safety and
nutritional issues and is considered the most
appropriate strategy for the safety and
nutritional assessment of genetically modified
foods. (FAO/WHO 2000)
15Assessment beyond equivalence
- Completely new food substance
- Changes in concentrations of major human dietary
nutrients - Increased concentrations of antinutritional
factors - Increased concentrations of toxins
16Safety of Genetic Material Inserted
- Characterization of
- Source
- Size
- Number
- Location of insertion
- Identification of sequences in the plant
- Safety of DNA itself is not in question
17Unintended Effects
- the unintended expression of some unknown or
unexpected toxic or antinutrient factor, or the
otherwise unintended enhanced production of known
toxic constituents. - (Royal Society, 1998) - Evidence of such effects has not been found as
result of bioengineering. - Effects are less likely in bioengineered than in
conventional products.
18Food Allergens
- All food allergens are proteins only a small
fraction of food proteins cause allergic
response. - Common foods with allergenic proteins peanuts,
milk, seafoods - Potential allergenicity of genetic material
(proteins) introduced into a plant is an
important part of safety assessment.
19Allergenicity Assessment
- Follows a decision-tree process
- Includes
- Source of the gene
- Sequence homology of newly introduced protein
- Reactivity of newly introduced proteins with
Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies from people
with known allergies to source material - Other properties, such as digestibility of the
protein
20Safety Assessments
- Refined and adapted and will continue to change
and develop. - Safety assessments are an important part of the
development process.
21FDAs scientific review continues to show that
all bioengineered foods sold here in the U.S.
today are as safe as their non-bioengineered
counterparts Dr. Jane Henney, M.D. U.S.
Commissioner of Food and Drugs, 2000
22Questions?