Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Monday 19 noveMber 2018

Next generation of biotech food heading for grocery stores

By LAURAN NEERGAARD
AP Medical Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The
next generation of bio-
tech food is headed for
the grocery aisles, and first
up may be salad dressings
or granola bars made with
soybean oil genetically
tweaked to be good for
your heart.
By early next year, the first
foods from plants or ani-
mals that had their DNA Fred Gmitter, a geneticist at the University of Florida Citrus Fred Gmitter, a geneticist at the University of Florida Citrus
“edited” are expected to Research and Education Center, holds citrus seedlings that are Research and Education Center, holds an orange affected by
begin selling. It’s a different used for gene editing research at the University of Florida in Lake citrus greening disease at a grove in Fort Meade, Fla., on Sept.
technology than today’s Alfred, Fla., on Sept. 27, 2018. Associated Press 27, 2018. Associated Press
controversial “genetically
modified” foods, more like tion as it grows. Dairy cows wild ancestor, but the gen- instructions from naturally to DNA that could affect
erations of cross-breeding hornless Angus beef cattle.
a crop’s nutritional value
that don’t need to under-
faster breeding that prom-
ises to boost nutrition, spur go painful de-horning, and made them more fragile “Precision breeding,” is or an animal’s health, said
pigs immune to a danger-
and altered their nutrients.
Jennifer Kuzma of the Ge-
how animal geneticist Ali-
crop growth, and make
farm animals hardier and ous virus that can sweep GMOs, or genetically modi- son Van Eenennaam of netic Engineering and So-
through herds.
fied organisms, are plants the University of California, ciety Center at North Caro-
fruits and vegetables last
longer. Scientists even hope gene or animals that were mixed Davis, explains it. “This isn’t lina State University.
with another species’ DNA going to replace traditional Scientists are looking for
editing eventually could
The U.S. National Academy
of Sciences has declared save species from being to introduce a specific trait breeding,” but make it eas- any signs of problems. Take
ier to add one more trait.
— meaning they’re “trans-
wiped out by devastating
the hornless calves munch-
gene editing one of the genic.” Best known are RULES AREN’T CLEAR
breakthroughs needed to diseases like citrus green- corn and soybeans mixed The Agriculture Depart- ing in a UC-Davis field. One
ing, a so far unstoppable
is female and once it be-
improve food production
so the world can feed bil- infection that’s destroying with bacterial genes for ment says extra rules aren’t gins producing milk, Van
built-in resistance to pests needed for “plants that Eenennaam will test how
Florida’s famed oranges.
lions more people amid a
changing climate. Yet gov- First they must find genes or weed killers. could otherwise have been similar that milk’s fat and
developed through tradi-
that could make a new
Despite international scien-
protein composition is to
ernments are wrestling with
how to regulate this pow- generation of trees im- tific consensus that GMOs tional breeding,” clearing milk from unaltered cows.
are safe to eat, some peo-
mune. “If we can go in
the way for development “We’re kind of being overly
erful new tool. And after
years of confusion and ran- and edit the gene, change ple remain wary and there of about two dozen gene- cautious,” she said, noting
the DNA sequence ever so
is concern they could spur edited crops so far.
that if eating beef from nat-
cor, will shoppers accept
gene-edited foods or view slightly by one or two let- herbicide-resistant weeds. In contrast, the Food and urally hornless Angus cattle
ters, potentially we’d have
Now gene-editing tools, Drug Administration in 2017 is fine, milk from edited Hol-
them as GMOs in disguise?
“If the consumer sees the a way to defeat this dis- with names like CRISPR proposed tighter, drug-like steins should be, too.
ease,” said Fred Gmitter, a
restrictions on gene-edited But to Kuzma, companies
and TALENs, promise to al-
benefit, I think they’ll em-
brace the products and geneticist at the University ter foods more precisely, animals. It promises guid- will have to be up-front
and at less cost, without ance sometime next year about how these new
of Florida Citrus Research
worry less about the tech-
nology,” said Dan Voytas, and Education Center, necessarily adding foreign on exactly how it will pro- foods were made and
as he examined diseased
DNA. Instead, they act like ceed. Because of trade, in-
the evidence that they’re
a University of Minnesota
professor and chief sci- trees in a grove near Fort molecular scissors to alter ternational regulations are healthy. She wants regu-
the letters of an organism’s “the most important factor lators to decide case-by-
Meade.
ence officer for Calyxt Inc., GENETICALLY MODIFIED OR
which edited soybeans to EDITED, WHAT’S THE DIFFER- own genetic alphabet. in whether genome edit- case which changes are
no big deal, and which
The technology can insert ing technologies are com-
make the oil heart-healthy. ENCE?
Researchers are pursuing Farmers have long geneti- new DNA, but most prod- mercialized,” USDA’s Paul might need more scrutiny.
ucts in development so far Spencer told a meeting of “Most gene-edited plants
more ambitious changes:
Wheat with triple the usual cally manipulated crops switch off a gene, accord- agriculture economists. and animals are probably
and animals by selectively
court going to be just fine to eat.
highest
ing to University of Missouri Europe’s
fiber, or that’s low in glu-
ten. Mushrooms that don’t breeding to get offspring professor Nicholas Kalait- ruled last summer that exist- But you’re only going to do
ing European curbs on the yourself a disservice in the
zandonakes.
with certain traits. It’s time-
brown, and better-produc-
ing tomatoes. Drought-tol- consuming and can bring Those new Calyxt soy- sale of transgenic GMOs long run if you hide behind
the terminology,” Kuzma
to-
trade-offs.
beans? Voytas’ team inac-
should apply to gene-ed-
Modern
erant corn, and rice that
no longer absorbs soil pollu- matoes, for example, are tivated two genes so the ited foods, too. But at the said.
larger than their pea-sized beans produce oil with no World Trade Organization AVOIDING A BACKLASH
heart-damaging trans fat this month, the U.S. joined Uncertainty about regu-
and that shares the famed 12 nations including Aus- latory and consumer re-
health profile of olive oil tralia, Canada, Argentina action is creating some
without its distinct taste. and Brazil in urging other strange bedfellows. An
The hornless calves? Most countries to adopt interna- industry-backed group of
dairy Holsteins grow horns tionally consistent, science- food makers and farmers
that are removed for the based rules for gene-edit- asked university research-
safety of farmers and other ed agriculture. ers and consumer advo-
cows. Recombinetics Inc. ARE THESE FOODS SAFE? cates to help craft guide-
swapped part of the gene The biggest concern is lines for “responsible use”
that makes dairy cows what are called off-target of gene editing in the food
grow horns with the DNA edits, unintended changes supply.q