What is GMO food: Positive and Negative
"So far, India has approved only one other GM crop for commercial cultivation: GM cotton in 2002. In 2009, GEAC cleared transgenic aubergine or eggplant, also called Bt brinjal, for evaluation. #pmgengineering #foodprocessing #foodindustry #foodtechnology #foodscience #engineering #science"
Genetically modified crops (GM crops) are plants used in agriculture whose DNA has been modified using genetic engineering methods. Combining genes from different organisms is known as recombinant DNA technology, and the resulting organism is described as "genetically modified," "genetically engineered," or "transgenic." The technology itself is often called "modern biotechnology" or "gene technology," and sometimes "recombinant DNA technology" or "genetic engineering." In the future, genetic modification could be aimed at altering the nutrient content of food, reducing its allergenic potential or improving the efficiency of food production systems.
The scale is already significant. Today some 9.5 million farmers in 21 countries grow GM varieties. Between 1996 and 2005, the total surface area of land cultivated with GMO increased from 4.2 M acres to 222 million acres. India has seen rapid and continuing expansion of GM cotton varieties since 2002. Indian GM engineering experiments cover cotton, maize, mustard, sugarcane, sorghum, pigeonpea, chickpea, rice, tomato, brinjal, potato, banana, papaya, cauliflower, oilseeds, castor, soyabean and medicinal plants, with experiments also underway on several species of fish.
On the advantage side, genetically modified crops offer pest resistance, require less fertilizer, and show greater herbicide tolerance and cold tolerance. GM technology has increased crop yields by 21%, and disease- and drought-resistant plants require fewer environmental resources such as water and fertilizer. For a processor, that translates into raw material supply that is more predictable in volume and less exposed to seasonal stress.
The counter-arguments matter equally to anyone sourcing or formulating with GM ingredients. GM crops can disrupt the natural process of gene flow, because the "better" traits produced from engineering genes can result in the favouring of one organism. Cost of cultivation is increased. There are concerns about harm to human or animal health, including toxicological effects and allergenicity, and GM crops can change nutritional value and alter the transfer of antibiotic resistance.