Are GMOs harmful or beneficial to humans, a list of genetically modified products. GMOs are becoming more common

SCIENTIFIC LIBRARY - ABSTRACTS - Gene modification

Gene modification

Geneticists and breeders discuss the most complex problems of plant and animal breeding, the use of genetic technologies in medicine, and the safety of genetically modified products.

1. Genetic engineering

Genetic engineering is a branch of molecular genetics associated with the targeted creation of new combinations of genetic material. The basis of applied genetic engineering is gene theory. The created genetic material is capable of multiplying in the host cell and synthesizing the final metabolic products.

Genetic engineering originated in 1972 at Stanford University in the USA. Then P. Berg's laboratory obtained the first recombinant (hybrid) DNA or (recDNA). It combined DNA fragments of lambda phage, Escherichia coli and simian virus SV40.

Structure of recombinant DNA. Hybrid DNA has the shape of a ring. It contains a gene (or genes) and a vector. A vector is a DNA fragment that ensures the reproduction of hybrid DNA and the synthesis of the final products of the genetic system - proteins. Most of vectors were obtained based on the lambda phage, from plasmids, SV40 viruses, polyoma, yeast and other bacteria.

Protein synthesis occurs in the host cell. The most commonly used host cell is Escherichia coli, but other bacteria, yeast, animal or plant cells are also used. The vector-host system cannot be arbitrary: the vector is tailored to the host cell. The choice of vector depends on the species specificity and objectives of the study.

Two enzymes are key to the construction of hybrid DNA. The first - restriction enzyme - cuts the DNA molecule into fragments at strictly defined locations. And the second - DNA ligases - stitch DNA fragments into a single whole. Only after the isolation of such enzymes did the creation of artificial genetic structures become a technically feasible task.

Stages of gene synthesis. Genes to be cloned can be obtained in fragments by mechanical or restriction enzyme digestion of total DNA. But structural genes, as a rule, have to be either synthesized chemically and biologically, or obtained in the form of a DNA copy of messenger RNA corresponding to the selected gene. Structural genes contain only the encoded record of the final product (protein, RNA), and are completely devoid of regulatory regions. And therefore these genes are not able to function in the host cell.

When recDNA is obtained, several structures are most often formed, of which only one is necessary. Therefore, a mandatory step is the selection and molecular cloning of recDNA introduced by transformation into the host cell.

There are 3 ways of recDNA selection: genetic, immunochemical and hybridization with labeled DNA and RNA.

As a result of the intensive development of genetic engineering methods, clones of many genes have been obtained: ribosomal, transport and 5S RNA, histones, mouse, rabbit, human globin, collagen, ovalbumin, human insulin and other peptide hormones, human interferon, etc. This made it possible to create strains of bacteria that produce many biologically active substances used in medicine, agriculture and microbiological industry.

Based on genetic engineering, a branch of the pharmaceutical industry emerged, called the “DNA industry.” This is one of the modern branches of biotechnology.

There is no doubt that the search for geneticists promises a person relief from many ailments. Genetic engineering is already beginning to be actively used in oncology, with drugs specifically targeted against a specific tumor being created. Scientists have been able to identify genes that predispose to the development of diabetes, which means that new prospects have emerged in the treatment of this serious illness. Human insulin (humulin), obtained using recDNA, is approved for therapeutic use. In addition, based on numerous mutants for individual genes obtained during their study, highly effective test systems have been created to identify the genetic activity of environmental factors, including the identification of carcinogenic compounds.

Behind short term Genetic engineering had a huge impact on the development of molecular genetic methods and allowed significant progress towards understanding the structure and functioning of the genetic apparatus. Genetic engineering has great promise in the treatment of hereditary diseases, of which about 2000 have been registered today. Genetic engineering is designed to help correct the mistakes of nature.

On the other hand, genetic technologies have given rise to completely new problems related to the possibility of cloning living beings, including humans. The global scientific community recognizes that cloning an identical human individual is technically possible. But the question of whether humanity needs such attempts remains open. It has been proven that in 99 percent of cases there is a risk of congenital deformities - which means that such experiments on humans are unacceptable.

However, new genetic technologies based on transgenesis and cloning are playing a role vital role in the creation of highly productive plant varieties and animal breeds. At the same time, problems of both genetic safety and moral and legal ones come to the fore.

In Russia, all cloning research is carried out only on animals. Fierce discussions are taking place all over the world - including in Russia - around another product of modern science: genetically modified foods.

2. Is genetic modification safe?

The creators of genetically modified products claim that they are completely safe. Supporters of their widespread use are confident that many years of research have proven the harmlessness of such products. Opponents are convinced of the opposite.

It has not yet been proven that these products are safe for humans. Many types of genetically modified products are prohibited for use in the final stages of the experiment as strong allergens.

Are the skeptics right who claim that transgenic foods are dangerous? Or maybe they will become our food in the 21st century?

About 30 years ago, the first experiments in genetic modification of plants were carried out. For example, you can take one gene from one animal or plant and insert it into another animal or plant. In this way, for example, you can get potatoes that are resistant to pesticides.

Genetically modified foods are not only created, but they are actively consumed.

In traditional breeding, crossing occurs within one species. Even the tomato has been improved by selective breeding. But, during selection, an exchange occurs between individuals of the same species. And genetic engineering makes it possible to create new DNA and manipulate it. For example, if the firefly gene is inserted into the DNA of tobacco, the tobacco flower begins to glow if it needs watering. This cannot be achieved through selection methods!

Protesters pay most attention to the negative processes of this technique. But no one argues that genetically modified products need testing!

Defenders of the biotech industry argue that all processes involving genetically modified products are tightly controlled.

An analysis of ordinary and transgenic plants is carried out. Scientists must prove to inspectors that food products do not differ in quality.

Product testing goes through the following stages:

1. Comparison of the structure and chemical composition of ordinary and transgenic plants.

2. Evidence is required that eating a new product does not harm human health.

Transgenic soybeans (herbicide resistant) have been included in the foods we have been eating in recent years.

Is the new protein toxic? The protein was tested for toxicity for several years. The mice were fed doses 1000 times higher than the doses consumed by humans. Scientists claim that nothing harmful to the human body has been identified.

How are new proteins digested? Proteins created artificially are immersed in a solution that has a medium similar in composition to the intestines. The faster the product is digested, the better.

Experiments have shown that the new protein is not an allergen. There are other ways to test the protein that has been created. If it fails the test, it is destroyed. However, the transgenic soybean protein successfully passed the test! 1,800 tests were carried out, which showed that there was nothing wrong with the soybeans.

The test system is working. You just need to follow the methodology, scientists say.

But skeptics believe that science still knows too little to say that “everything is under control.” Living organisms are so complex that it is almost impossible to predict their behavior.

However, traditional breeding methods are not always safe. On the contrary, in genetic engineering the pathways for introducing a gene are precisely known. Again, skeptics are confident that genetic engineering using new methods risks causing irreparable harm to nature. Their opponents say that selection is also dangerous, because it deals not with one, but with several genes! And therefore the result of selection is even more unpredictable!

The worst thing is that about 30 years ago they experimented with genes without understanding what they were doing!

Opposition to genetically modified foods is stronger in Europe than anywhere else in the world. Recently, the introduction of transgenic products has been very difficult: about 2000 such products were introduced in England, and now there are less than 100 left!

3. Examples of genetic modification

Public organizations in Europe are calling for the destruction of transgenic plants. Strange plants are produced by implanting animal genes into them. Environmentalists are against these technologies, and the public is arrogant and contemptuous of genetically modified products.

3.1 Corn cob enlargement

Mexico has poor soils, and therefore very poor corn yields. Scientists have been tasked with increasing the size of a corn cob. As a result of the research, a gene was implanted into corn that neutralizes aluminum salts and dissolves phosphates, this allowed the plant to fully develop on the proposed soils.

The harvest promised to be 2 times larger, but the government, under pressure from environmental organizations, banned this research. Ecologists ignore the results of the experiment. Opponents of genetic engineering believe that such experiments are harmful to the environment, dangerous to health and ultimately lead to environmental disaster. After all, no one can guarantee that these methods will not lead to the appearance of new insects and weeds!

3.2 Cotton protection

University of Arizona. Scientists are working to increase cotton yields. The plant is suffering from a pink boxworm infestation. If the pest population is large, then cotton yields plummet!

It is necessary to introduce a gene into the cotton plant that will kill the bollworm. For the last 40 years, plants have been sprayed with chemicals to kill insects. Both people and animals suffered. They tried to implant a bacterial gene into cotton. A protein has appeared in the leaves of the plant, which is poisonous to the worm. Thus, there is no need to protect the plant with chemicals!

As a result, hundreds of hectares of poisonous plants were obtained, which themselves protect themselves from harmful insects. Yet again, time will pass, and the pests will get used to it and develop immunity!

But it’s not just beetles—pests that cause concern! Environmentalists are afraid that particularly resistant weeds will appear, and that means there will be no escape from weeds that are resistant to chemicals. After all, bees can spread pollen for several kilometers, and these plants will fill the entire area. However, there is evidence that at a distance of 15 m pollination no longer occurs. But even if the pollen of a modified plant travels the distance, it must interbreed with its species. Super-survivability is not so easy to maintain...

3.3 Rice with vitamin “A”

Asia. 100 million children do not receive vitamin A, which is necessary for proper vision. The fact is that the main food of the poorest segments of the population is rice. Children are going blind from a lack of vitamin A!

The noble task is to grow rice immediately with vitamin “A” and sow fields with it in backward countries. How is this possible? Narcissus is a poisonous plant. It is necessary to take 2 genes from it and introduce it into rice, which in this case will contain vitamin “A”!

4. The horrors of genetic modification

Human liver gene added to rice! Scientists have begun adding human genes to rice in an attempt to take genetically modified foods to the next level.

Researchers have introduced into rice a gene derived from human liver that produces an enzyme that helps break down harmful chemicals in the human body. They hope the enzyme - CYP2B6 - will do the same for herbicides and pollutants when mixed with rice.

But opponents of genetically modified foods say the use of human genes will turn off consumers who are disgusted by the idea of ​​cannibalism and scientists taking on the functions of God. Sue Mayer, from the UK organization GeneWatch, says: "I don't think anyone will want to buy this rice." "People have already expressed their disgust at the use of human genes and their unease at feeling that the biotech industry is not listening to them. This will further shake their confidence."

Typically, when genetically modifying crops, genes obtained from bacteria are used. They are resistant to only one type of herbicide, meaning farmers can treat their fields as often as they like to control pests, but only with one type of chemical. The goal of adding a human gene to rice is to create a plant that is resistant to several types of herbicides.

Researchers at the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences in Tsukuba in Japan have discovered that a new type of rice can be resistant to 14 different types of herbicides. Professor Richard Meylan, who conducted similar research at the Purdue Institute in Indiana, says that such rice can be grown in soil saturated with industrial pollution. He used rabbit genes in his research, but says he sees no reason why human genes shouldn't be used. He says talk of "Frankenstein food" is nonsense and adds: "I don't think ethical considerations have anything to do with the use of human genes in genetic engineering to grow food."

Rice production is falling around the world and there is a race to find ways to increase rice yields, as well as new varieties of rice that are virus-resistant, low in allergens and low in protein.

However, the Institute of Science in the society of opponents of genetic modification says that the CYP2B6 enzyme can affect humans, leading to the creation of new viruses or types of cancer.

They add: “Proponents of genetic modification and major rice-producing countries are researching and promoting genetically modified rice with little regard for safety or long-term prospects.”

Conclusion

Skeptics are not sure that genetic technologies will solve social problems. Dreams of equal distribution of food around the world are utopian.

Opposition to genetically modified foods is stronger in Europe than anywhere else in the world. The creators of genetically modified products claim that they are completely safe. In turn, opponents of genetic modification consider it a “Pandora's box” with unpredictable consequences.

It is obvious that in the coming decades genetics will still present many surprises to humanity, give rise to many sensations - imaginary and real, and controversy and even scandals will rage around it. Society easily hears those people who are afraid of everything new, but the danger from mobile phones is no less!

The main thing is that all this fuss does not interfere too much with the serious work of scientists in one of the most interesting and promising scientific areas.

Terminological dictionary

Genetic Engineering- the practice of purposefully changing the genetic programs of germ cells in order to impart new properties to the original forms of organisms or create fundamentally new forms of organisms. The main method of genetic engineering consists of extracting a gene or group of genes from the cells of an organism, combining them with certain nucleic acid molecules and introducing the resulting hybrid molecules into the cells of another organism.

Biological protection- in genetic engineering - the creation and use of a combination of biological material that is safe for humans and the environment, the properties of which exclude the unwanted survival of genetically engineered organisms in the environment and/or the transfer of genetic information to them

Biotechnology- in a broad sense - borderline between biology and technology scientific discipline and a field of practice that studies ways and methods of change surrounding a person natural environment in accordance with its needs.

Biotechnology- in a narrow sense - a set of methods and techniques for obtaining products and phenomena useful to humans with the help of biological agents. Biotechnology includes genetic, cellular and environmental engineering

Release of genetically modified organisms into the environment- action or inaction that resulted in the introduction of genetically modified organisms into the environment.

Genetic engineering activities- activities carried out using genetic engineering methods and genetically modified organisms.

Genetically engineered organism- an organism or several organisms, any non-cellular, unicellular or multicellular formation: - capable of reproduction or transmission of hereditary genetic material; - different from natural organisms; - obtained using genetic engineering methods; and - containing genetically engineered material.

Gene diagnostics- in genetic engineering - a set of methods for identifying changes in the structure of the genome.

Closed system- in genetic engineering- a system for carrying out genetic engineering activities in which genetic modifications are introduced into an organism or genetically modified organisms, processed, cultivated, stored, used, transported, destroyed or buried in conditions of the existence of physical, chemical and biological barriers or combinations thereof, preventing contact of genetically engineered organisms with the population and the environment.

Open system- in genetic engineering- a system for carrying out genetic engineering activities, which involves contact of genetically engineered organisms with the population and the environment during their intentional release into the environment, use for medical purposes, during export and import, during technology transfer.

Transgenic organisms- animals, plants, microorganisms, viruses, the genetic program of which has been changed using genetic engineering methods.

Physical protection- in genetic engineering- creation and use of special technical means and techniques that prevent the release of genetically engineered organisms into the environment and/or the transfer of genetic information to them.

Literature

1. Maniatis T., Methods of genetic engineering, M., 1984;

2. Genetic engineering Source #"#">#"#">Rubricon


Genetically engineered modified organism - an organism or several organisms, any non-cellular, unicellular or multicellular formation: - capable of reproducing or transmitting hereditary genetic material; - different from natural organisms; - obtained using genetic engineering methods; and - containing genetically engineered material.

Phages are the same as bacteriophages. ...phage (from the Greek Phagos - eater) is a part of complex words corresponding in meaning to the words “eating”, “absorbing” (for example, bacteriophage).

Biotechnology is a set of methods and techniques for obtaining products and phenomena useful to humans using biological agents. Biotechnology includes genetic, cellular and environmental engineering.

Genetics have developed soybeans that prevent hair loss. In Japan, a genetically modified variety of soybeans has been developed that stimulates hair growth and prevents hair loss from chemotherapy. If the safety of the new product is confirmed, then to save yourself from baldness, you will just need to periodically eat these beans, the head of the Kyoto University research group, Professor Massaki Yoshikawa, said on Wednesday. The miraculous property of the grain crop was given by a genetically introduced component (novokinin), which has an antihypertensive effect. It was derived from the amino acid composition of egg white. According to scientists, this component promotes hair growth by dilating blood vessels and normalizing blood circulation. The effectiveness of the beans was confirmed in experiments on mice that were shaved and then fed modified beans at a rate of one thousandth of a milligram of antihypertensive substance per gram of body weight. It was reported that the restoration of fur proceeded at an accelerated pace, and after increasing the dose, the mice stopped losing hair, even as a result of chemotherapy. Experts say their beans can also be used as a regular medicine for high blood pressure. April 13, 2005

Update: October 2018

Today, in many countries (including Russia), the concept of GMOs has been turned into almost equivalent to the concepts of “products that cause mutations and tumors.” GMOs are being vilified from all sides and for a variety of reasons: they are unsafe, tasteless, and threaten the country’s food independence. Are these same GMOs really that scary, and what are they really? Let’s try to figure it out.

GMO - deciphering the concept

Genetically modified organisms are living organisms modified by genetic engineering methods. In a narrow sense, the concept applies to plants. Previously, breeders like Michurin had to achieve certain useful (from a human point of view) properties in plants using various tricks: grafting cuttings of one tree onto another or selecting for sowing seeds of plants only with certain qualities, and then wait long and hard for the results that persisted only after a couple of generations of plants. Today you can transfer the right gene to the right place and get what you want.

Thus, GMO is an acceleration of evolution and directing it in the right direction.

How are GMOs created?

To create a GMO plant, several techniques can be used. Today the most popular method is transgenes. To do this, the desired gene (for example, drought resistance) is isolated from the DNA chain in its pure form, and then introduced into the DNA of the modified plant.

Genes can be taken from related species, and then the process is called cisgenesis. When a gene is taken from species that are distant from the given organism, they speak of transgenesis.

It is about transgenesis that there are terrible stories. Having learned that there is now wheat with the scorpion gene, many begin to fantasize about whether those who eat it will now grow a tail and claws, and whether poison will appear in their saliva. Numerous illiterate publications on websites and forums where the topic of GMOs is actively discussed add fuel to the fire.

This is not the only thing that “specialists” who have little knowledge of biology and biochemistry scare potential consumers of GMO products.

Products containing GMOs

Today it is agreed that GMO products are everything that is genetically modified organisms or all products that contain components of such organisms. That is, not only genetically modified corn or potatoes will be GMO food, but also sausages, which, in addition to sodium nitrate, toilet paper and liver, will contain GMO soy. But the meat of a cow that was fed GMO wheat will not be a GMO product. And that's why.

Are GMOs built into our cells?

Journalists who have not read any normal physiology and biochemistry, who understand the relevance and relevance of the topic of GMOs, but are too lazy to seriously study the issue, launched a “duck” to the masses that the cells of GMO products, entering our stomach and intestines, are absorbed into the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. organs and tissues where they cause mutations and cancer.

It is with great regret that we have to note that this fantasy plot is untenable. Any food in the stomach and intestines breaks down into its component parts under the influence of gastric juice, pancreatic secretion and intestinal enzymes. And these components are not genes or even proteins, but:

Then, in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract, all this delight is absorbed into the bloodstream and used either for:

  • getting energy (sugar)
  • or for its reserves (fats)
  • either as building material human own proteins (amino acids)

And if, for example, you take a certain genetically modified organism (say, an ugly apple that looks more like a cucumber), then it will easily be chewed, swallowed and broken down into its component parts in the same way as any other thing that has not undergone genetic modification. Let's give another somewhat strange/creepy example, but which will explain more popularly that genes are not integrated anywhere when assimilated into the gastrointestinal tract: if a crocodile (or a cannibal) eats a child with Down syndrome and eats healthy child, both will be equally absorbed and will in no way affect the crocodile or cannibal.

Other GMO horror stories

The second, no less chilling story concerns the fact that transgenes are integrated into the human genome and lead to, God knows what, terrible consequences, such as cancer and infertility.

Cancer risk: The French first wrote about cancer in mice fed genetically modified grain in 2012. In fact, the leader of the experiment, Gilles-Eric Séralini (Institute of Biology, University of Caen, France), sampled 200 Sprague-Dawley rats, a third of which were fed genetically modified corn grain, a third on genetically modified corn treated with herbicide, and a third on regular corn. grains. As a result, those female rats that ate GMOs grew tumors in 80% of cases within two years. Males developed liver and kidney pathologies on such a diet. It is characteristic that a third of the rats on a normal diet also died from tumors of various organs, and in general this line of rats is prone to the spontaneous appearance of tumors, regardless of the nature of the diet. So the purity of the experiment is questionable, and it was considered unscientific and untenable.

Previously, similar research was carried out in 2005 by biologist Ermakova (Russia). At a conference in Germany, she made a report on the high mortality rate of mice fed genetically modified soybeans. After this, this statement, as confirmed in a scientific experiment, went for a walk in cities and villages, driving young mothers forced to feed their children into hysterics. artificial mixtures, in which this GMO soybean is simply piled up. Subsequently, five Nature Biotechnology experts agreed on the ambiguity of the Russian experiment and did not recognize its reliability.

In conclusion of this section, I would like to write that even if some piece of foreign DNA (as some sources write about) gets into the human bloodstream, then in no way this genetic information will be integrated anywhere and will not lead to anything. Yes, in nature there are cases of insertion of pieces of the genome into a foreign one. For example, some bacteria spoil the genetics of flies in this way. But such phenomena have not been described in higher animals. In addition, there is more than enough different genetic information in all other products without any GMOs. And if they are still not integrated into our genetic material, then we can continue to safely eat everything that the body can digest and assimilate.

GMOs: harm or benefit

The American company Monsanto introduced genetically modified cotton and soybeans to the market in 1982. They are also the author of the herbicide Roundup, which kills all vegetation except GMO-modified vegetation.

In 1996, when Monssanto's GMO products were released onto the markets, competing corporations, saving their income, began a large-scale campaign to limit the circulation of products containing GMOs. The first to mark the persecution of GMOs was the British scientist Arpad Pusztai, who fed GMO potatoes to rats. True, later experts tore to smithereens all the scientist’s calculations.

Potential harm from GMO products for Russians

  • No one hides the fact that on lands sown with GMO grains, nothing ever grows except themselves. This is due to the fact that herbicide-resistant soybean or cotton varieties are not stained by the herbicide, which can be sprayed in any quantity, causing the total extinction of other vegetation.
  • The most common herbicide is glyphosate. In fact, it is sprayed even before the ripening of what goes into food, quickly decomposes in plants and is not stored in the soil. But resistant GMO plants allow you to spray a lot, a lot of it, which increases the risk of its accumulation in GMO vegetation. Glyphosate is also known to cause obesity and bone growth. And in the USA and Latin America there are a lot of overweight people.
  • Many GMO seeds are designed for only one planting. That is, what grows out of them will no longer produce offspring. This is more of a commercial ploy, as this increases the sales of GMO seeds. There are excellent GMO plants that give excellent results to the next generations.
  • Allergization. Since some artificial genetic mutations (for example, in potatoes or soybeans) can increase its allergenic properties, they say that all GMOs are powerful allergens. But some varieties of peanuts, devoid of their usual proteins, do not cause allergies even in those who previously suffered from it specifically for this product.
  • GMO plants can displace other varieties of their species. Due to the nature of pollination, they may reduce the number of other varieties of their species. That is, if two plots nearby are planted with GMO and regular wheat, there is a risk that the GMO will displace the regular one, pollinating it. Who would let her grow up next to her?
  • Dependence on companies that hold the seed fund. Having abandoned its own seed funds and switched only to GMO seeds, especially disposable ones, the state will sooner or later become food dependent on the holders of the seed fund of GMO plants.

A response to the aspirations of the people

After repeated replication in all media mass media tales and horror stories about GMO products, the vector of wide public resonance was directed against the machinations of imperialism, completely denying the possibility of expensive Russians consuming harmful and unsafe products containing GMOs or their traces.

Rospotrebnadzor, meeting the wishes of its compatriots, took part in numerous conferences on this issue. In March 2014, at a conference in Italy, a delegation from Rospotrebnadzor took part in technical consultations on the low content of GMOs in food products and the low content of GMO products themselves in Russian trade turnover. Thus, today a policy has been adopted towards almost complete exclusion of GMO products from the food supply. Russian market and the use of GMO plants in agriculture was delayed, although in 2013 it was planned to begin using GMO seeds (Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation of September 23, 2013).

The Ministry of Education and Science went even further and, taking into account people's aspirations, proposed instead of using the “does not contain GMOs” label to use a barcode that would contain all the information about the genetic modification of a given product or its absence. It's a good start, but it will be impossible to read the barcode without a special device.

CONCLUSION: the GMO problem is clearly overblown, the real consequences of long-term consumption of GMO products are unknown, and no authoritative scientific experiments have been conducted on this issue to date.

For those who are still afraid of eating GMO foods, here’s full list products containing GMOs.

Products

Manufacturers using GMOs in their technologies

  • Chocolate products Hershey's Cadbury Fruit&Nut
  • Mars M&M, Snickers, Twix, Milky Way
  • Cadbury chocolate, cocoa
  • Ferrero
  • Nestle chocolate "Nestlé", "Russia"
  • Chocolate drink Nestle Nesquik
  • Soft drink Sosa-Cola "Coca-Cola" Sosa-Cola
  • Sprite, Fanta, Kinley tonic, Fruittime
  • Pepci-Co Pepsi
  • "7-Up", "Fiesta", "Mountain Dew"
  • Kellogg's breakfast cereals
  • Campbell Soups
  • Uncle Bens Mars Rice
  • Knorr Sauces
  • Lipton tea
  • Parmalat cookies
  • Seasonings, mayonnaise, Hellman’s sauces
  • Seasonings, mayonnaise, Heinz sauces
  • Baby food Nestle, Hipp, Abbot Labs Similac
  • Yogurts, kefir, cheese, Denon baby food
  • McDonald's (McDonald's) chain of fast food restaurants
  • Chocolate, chips, coffee, baby food Kraft (Kraft)
  • Ketchups, sauces. Heinz Foods
  • Baby food, Delmi products Unilever (Unilever)
  • JSC "Nizhny Novgorod Oil and Fat Plant" (mayonnaise "Ryaba", "Vprok", etc.)
  • Bonduel products (Hungary) - beans, corn, green peas
  • CJSC "Baltimore-Neva" (St. Petersburg) - ketchups
  • CJSC "Mikoyanovsky Meat Processing Plant" (Moscow) - pates, minced meat
  • JSC UROP FOOD GB" (Nizhny Novgorod region) - soups "Galina Blanca"
  • Concern "White Ocean" (Moscow) - chips "Russian Potatoes"
  • OJSC "Lianozovsky Dairy Plant" (Moscow) - yoghurts, "Miracle Milk", "Miracle Chocolate"
  • OJSC "Cherkizovsky MPZ" (Moscow) - frozen minced meat
  • LLC "Campina" (Moscow region) - yoghurts, baby food
  • LLC "MK Gurman" (Novosibirsk) - pates
  • Frito LLC (Moscow region) - Layz chips
  • LLC "Ehrmann" (Moscow region) - yoghurts
  • LLC "Unilever CIS" (Tula) - mayonnaise "Calve"
  • Factory "Bolshevik" (Moscow) - cookies "Yubileinoe"
  • "Nestlé" (Switzerland, Finland) - dry milk mixture "Nestogen", puree "Vegetables with beef"

List of GMO food manufacturers

  • LLC "Daria - semi-finished products"
  • LLC "Klinsky Meat Processing Plant"
  • MPZ "Tagansky"
  • MPZ "CampoMos"
  • JSC "Viciunai"
  • LLC "MLM-RA"
  • LLC "Talosto-products"
  • LLC "Sausage plant "Bogatyr"
  • LLC "ROS Mari Ltd"

Unilever:

  • Lipton (tea)
  • Brooke Bond (tea)
  • "Conversation" (teas)
  • Calve (mayonnaise, ketchup)
  • Rama (oil)
  • "Pyshka" (margarine)
  • "Delmi" (mayonnaise, yogurt, margarine)
  • "Algida" (ice cream)
  • Knorr (seasonings)

Manufacturing company Kellog's:

  • Corn Flakes
  • Frosted Flakes (cereals)
  • Rice Krispies (cereals)
  • Corn Pops (cereals)
  • Smacks (cereals)
  • Froot Loops (colored ring flakes)
  • Apple Jacks (apple flavored cereal rings)
  • Afl-bran Apple Cinnamon/ Blueberry (bran with apple, cinnamon, blueberry flavors)
  • Chocolate Chip (chocolate chips)
  • Pop Tarts (filled cookies, all flavors)
  • Nulri grain (toast with filling, all types)
  • Crispix (cookies)
  • All-Bran (cereals)
  • Just Right Fruit & Nut (cereals)
  • Honey Crunch Corn Flakes
  • Raisin Bran Crunch (cereals)
  • Cracklin'Oat Bran (flakes)

Manufacturing company Mars:

  • M&M'S
  • Snickers
  • Milky Way
  • Nestle
  • Crunch (chocolate rice cereal)
  • Milk Chocolate Nestle (chocolate)
  • Nesquik (chocolate drink)
  • Cadbury (Cadbury/Hershey's)
  • Fruit & Nut

Manufacturing company Nestle:

  • Nescafe (coffee and milk)
  • Maggi (soups, broths, mayonnaise, Nestle (chocolate)
  • Nestea (tea)
  • Neseiulk (cocoa)

Manufacturing company Hershey's:

  • Toblerone (chocolate, all types)
  • Mini Kisses (candies)
  • Kit-Kat (chocolate bar)
  • Kisses (candies)
  • Semi-Sweet Baking Chips (cookies)
  • Milk Chocolate Chips (cookies)
  • Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (peanut butter)
  • Special Dark (dark chocolate)
  • Milk Chocolate (milk chocolate)
  • Chocolate Syrup (chocolate syrup)
  • Special Dark Chocolate Syrup (chocolate syrup)
  • Strawberry Syrup (strawberry syrup)

Manufacturing company Heinz:

  • Ketchup (regular & no salt)
  • Chili Sauce
  • Heinz 57 Steak Sauce

Coca-Cola manufacturing company:

  • Coca Cola
  • Sprite
  • Charry Cola
  • Minute Maid Orange
  • Minute Maid Grape

Manufacturing company PepsiCo:

  • Pepsi
  • Pepsi Cherry
  • Mountain Dew

Frito manufacturing company - Lay / PepsiCo:

  • (GM ingredients may be present in oil and other ingredients) Lays Potato Chips (all)
  • Cheetos (all)

Manufacturing company Cadbury/Schweppes:

  • Dr. Pepper

Pringles manufacturer Procter&Gamble:

  • Pringles (chips in Original, LowFat, Pizzalicious, Sour Cream & Onion, Salt & Vinegar, Cheezeums flavors).

The same product manufacturing company can produce three categories of the same product:

  • the first is for domestic consumption (in industrialized countries)
  • the second is for export to other developed countries
  • the third - for export to developing countries

The third category includes about 80% of food products, drinks, and tobacco products exported from the USA and Western European countries. According to the UN Food Commission, some Western firms are expanding the export of goods that are not only environmentally hazardous, but also prohibited in developed countries.

Meanwhile, more than two hundred types of food additives are not approved for use in Russia due to the incompleteness of the testing package. Listing them would take too much space.

Let us name only the definitively prohibited and absolutely harmful preservatives and emulsifiers for humans:

Finally, I would like to name some dangerous preservatives and emulsifiers that can negatively affect your health. As a rule, labeling with their name is provided on product packaging.

  • E121 - citrus red dye
  • E123 - red amaranth
  • E240 - preservative formaldehyde
  • suspicious: E-104, E-122, E-141, E-150, E-171, E-173, E-180, E-241, E-477
  • prohibited: E-103, E-105, E-111, E-125, E-126, E-130, E-152
  • dangerous: E-102, E-110, E-120, E-124, E-127
  • contribute to the development of oncology: E-131, E-142, E-210, E-211, E-212, E-213, E-215, E-216, G: 217, E-240, E-330
  • harmful to skin: E-230, E-231, E-232, E-238
  • contribute to the occurrence of rash: E-311, E-312 and E-313
  • cause intestinal disorders: E-221, E-222, E-223, E-224 and E-226
  • stomach upset: E-322, E-338, E-339, E-340, E-311, E-407, E-450, E-461, E-462, E-463, E-465, E-466
  • increase pressure: E-250 and E-251
  • increase cholesterol: E-320 and E-321

Many products now carry the “non-GMO” label, raising not only the price of the product by making it “organic”, but also our trust in it. We will tell you what GMOs are, whether you should believe all the myths, and whether they are really as dangerous as they try to present.

What is GMO?

The abbreviation GMO stands for genetically modified organism, which can be a living organism or a food product that is created using genetic engineering. What are the advantages of this notorious genetic engineering technology? The fact is that, for example, in agriculture, pests avoid treated plants, and a very large harvest can be harvested. They have a very long shelf life and an attractive appearance - glossy shine, large size, beautiful shape. They are all created like a carbon copy. That is, it is very profitable, but is it safe for human health?

There are several common opinions about what kind of harm GM foods can cause to the human body:

1. The likelihood of tumor formation increases.

2. The body loses its ability to be susceptible to antibiotics and pills.

3. The easiest outcome is simple food poisoning.

4. GM foods can cause an allergic reaction in the body.

But not all experts today can confirm the veracity of each of these arguments. For example, Pamela Ronald, who has been studying plant genes for many years, argues that there is nothing wrong with GMOs: “Genetic modifications are not something new. Almost everything we eat now has been genetically modified in one way or another." She says: “Genetic modifications, in the sense of gene transfer between species, have been used for more than 40 years in winemaking, medicine, plant breeding, and cheese making. During all this time, there has never been a case where harm was caused to humans or the environment.”

Indeed, the harm of genetically modified organisms has not been officially proven by any scientist, although many experiments and studies have been conducted. So the connection between GM products and the occurrence of tumors is nothing more than an assumption.

As for pill resistance, bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics by creating genes through natural mutation.

Most plants produce substances that are toxic to humans. However, many foods that people consume produce toxins at low enough levels that they do not cause any adverse health effects.

But if genetic engineering technology is added to this plant, it is likely that it will begin to produce toxins at a higher level, and this means a direct threat to humans.

Children are more susceptible to food allergies than adults (almost 2 times). Allergic reactions in the human body occur when a genetically modified protein enters the body and stimulates the immune system. This is a completely normal reaction of the body to new components that it encounters for the first time.

Another danger that GM products pose is that useful material and the nutritional properties of a particular fruit, vegetable or berry may be of lower quality than the nutritional properties of its normal counterpart. Thus, the body simply does not perceive the nutrients it receives.

Genetically Modified Organisms. They are increasingly talked about and written about in the media. This week, a bigger scandal than ever broke out in Europe. French scientists tested genetically modified corn on rats. They fed it to the poor rodents not for 3 months, as is done in studies in the USA, but for two years. The results are shocking. More than 80 percent of rodents have cancerous tumors. Study leader Professor Séralini says:

“The first male who received such corn died of a cancerous tumor a year before the interim check. The first female died within 8 months. Tumors were found in 83% of the entire group. Females have uterine cancer, males have skin and liver cancer, from which the animals died.”

The more the proportion of GMO products in the rats’ diet increased, the faster the disease developed.

The research results caused a storm of indignation among ordinary consumers. Voices have again been heard in the European Parliament about banning GMO products. Only I remain calm and equanimous. I have a garden and vegetable garden where I grow apples and potatoes, but I don’t eat American corn at all.

What is GMO?

GMO (genetically modified organism) is an organism that is artificially modified laboratory conditions changed the structure of DNA. Actually, this is the integration of foreign genes into the genome of other animals and plants. Genetic changes are carried out for scientific or economic purposes on microorganisms, plants and animals.

In nature, crossing occurs in a natural evolutionary way, and between related organisms. You can cross apples different varieties, but an apple with potatoes or fish will not work. Genetic engineering can do almost anything. The scorpion genes were successfully introduced into the DNA of potatoes and now the Colorado potato beetle does not eat them. And we eat. That is, you eat. I plant potatoes in my garden plot without the use of genetic engineering.

The answer is obvious. The planet's food supplies are depleting, and the planet's population is increasing. GMOs can save the world from the threat of hunger, since with the help of genetic engineering it is possible to increase the quality of food and agricultural products.

The number of agricultural areas with GMO crops is growing steadily. GMO products such as corn, soybeans, potatoes, tomatoes, beets, and tobacco have already become commonplace. Genetic engineering is used to create crops that are resistant to pests and adverse environmental conditions. New varieties have better taste and growth properties. Modified varieties of forest species are on the way, characterized by fast growth and a high cellulose content in the wood.

GMOs in medicine

Since 1982, GMOs have been used in medicine. The first to be obtained as a medicine was human insulin, obtained from genetically modified microorganisms. Currently, work is underway to obtain genetically modified plants that produce components for vaccines against AIDS, plague and others. infectious diseases. The drug against thrombosis has been successfully tested and has already been approved. Methods are being developed to use GMOs in the fight against aging processes.

A great risk is associated with human consumption of GMO agricultural and livestock products that have not been sufficiently tested by time. The effect of GMOs on many plants and animals has not yet been sufficiently studied. In the process of inserting DNA chains, genes can mutate, and in the most unexpected way. As a result, previously unknown toxic proteins may appear, causing allergies and poisoning in humans and animals. To insert genes, viruses are used, which, penetrating into a living cell, use its internal resources. They develop in it and, multiplying, penetrate into neighboring cells of the body. GMO products can cause cancer. Transgenes have the ability to integrate into the gene apparatus of stomach microorganisms, and this is already a mutation. It is cell mutations that lead to the appearance of cancer cells.

Some scientists believe that at the current stage of development of biotechnology, the production of GMOs is premature due to the unpredictability of their effects on living organisms. Priority should be given to environmentally friendly and safe products.

What to do?

Be vigilant. More than 30% of products sold in supermarkets contain GMOs. Most of them (up to 80%) are in sausages and sausages.

Read food labels and avoid soy- and corn-based ingredients. They should be avoided because there is no way to know whether they contain genetically modified soy or corn derivatives.

It is better to buy meat at markets from reliable sellers and cook it at home. Give preference to organic natural products.

There are many GMOs in bakery and confectionery products. If the bread you buy does not go stale for a long time, rest assured that it contains GMOs.

More than 80% of exported American products contain GMOs. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Mars and Snickers all contain GMOs. McDonald's successfully uses transgenic soybeans in the production of fast foods.

If you see smooth, even potatoes of the same size in the store, this is the merit of genetics. Thanks to genetic modification, products look perfect and are stored for a long time.

Advice from the site www.site

Plant tomatoes and potatoes in your summer cottages, friends!

GMO products in Russia

The production and use of GMO products is regulated at the state level. In many countries, labeling of GMO products is strictly mandatory. In Russia, the production of GMOs is still prohibited. However, the import of food products that contain GMOs is permitted. Mostly modified corn, soybeans, beets and potatoes are imported into Russia from the USA. America ranks first in the production and consumption of GMOs. Up to 80% of food in the US contains GMOs.

Products that may contain GMOs

1. Corn (flour, grits, popcorn, chips, starch).

2. Potatoes (chips, crackers.).

3. Wheat (bread and bakery products)

4 Tomatoes (mashed potatoes, sauces, ketchups, pasta).

5. Soy (beans, flour, milk).

6.Sunflower oil.

8. Onions, carrots, sugar beets.

Foreign companies using GMOs

McDonalds is a fast food chain.

Coca-Cola - Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Kinley tonic.

PepsiCo - Pepsi, Mirinda.

Danon - produces kefir, cottage cheese, yoghurts, baby food.

Kelloggs - produces breakfast cereals, cornflakes

Nestle - produces coffee, coffee drinks, baby food, chocolate.

Heinz Foods - produces sauces and ketchups.

Hersheys - produces soft drinks and chocolate.

Similac - baby food.

What is GMO?

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Genetically modified organism (GMO) - an organism whose genotype was artificially changed using genetic engineering methods. This definition can be applied to plants, animals and microorganisms. The WHO gives a narrower definition: “Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms (i.e. plants, animals or microorganisms) whose genetic material (DNA) has been changed in a way that would not be possible in nature through reproduction or natural recombination." . Genetic changes are usually made for scientific or economic purposes. Genetic modification is distinguished by a purposeful change in the genotype of an organism, in contrast to the random one characteristic of the natural and artificial mutation process.

The main type of genetic modification currently is the use of transgenes to create transgenic organisms.

In agriculture and Food Industry GMOs refer only to organisms modified by the introduction of one or more transgenes into their genome.

Experts have obtained scientific evidence that there is no increased danger in products made from genetically modified organisms as such compared to traditional products.

Encyclopedic YouTube

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    ✪ GMO MUTANTS BIOROBOTS are already a reality. The X-Men are not fiction. Miracles of genetics and genetic engineering

    ✪ SHOCK! GMO PEOPLE! THE CHINESE STARTED GROWING GMO PEOPLE, PPC

    ✪ Genetically modified organisms

    ✪ GMOs (biologist Alexander Panchin tells)

    ✪ What is GMO?

    Subtitles

    It’s no longer a secret that professional sports competitions are not people but farm technologies, in 2008 the Chinese took over the organization olympic games and promised to demonstrate a sports miracle and they succeeded, having previously taken third and fourth place in the overall team competition of the state in 2008, not only became the first, overtook the closest competitor, the US national team. You are short and frail by nature, the Chinese received one of the tallest basketball teams in the world and one of the most strong teams in weight lifting, they began to swim and run well, which was not very noticeable before, this is not just an increase in the result, this is an explosion, what kind of explosive is this that ensured such an acceleration? back in 2006, 200,000 doping tests were made in the world; only about two percent does this mean that the remaining ninety-eight percent of athletes certainly do not use any artificial drugs or methods; maybe the fact is that some are worn and some have not yet learned to detect it at all and maybe gene doping has long been a conspiracy rumor all over the world scientists are working to literally rewrite our genetic code through genetic modification and gene editing to illustrate the possibilities of interfering with the human code, including for sporting purposes, here is open data on the crispr cas9 system is a revolutionary method of genome editing that can modify any region of the genome of any species with high accuracy and without damaging other genes what can be done using crispr cas9 remove unwanted genes add new ones activate dead genes that no longer function control gene activity and this is only the information that is in the public domain it is naive to assume that such work has not been and is not being carried out in a secret military tour, back in 2016, Bashar Jeffrey, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Syria, made a shocking statement that the United States is using genetically modified soldiers in Syria, even our series, organizations such as Darpa, the Office of Advanced Research Projects of the US Department of Defense are already beginning to gradually prepare the world to perceive a new reality within the framework of this campaign, darpa, despite the secrecy, invited science fiction writer Simon Kanva to her laboratory and showed some of her achievements, allowing her to write about what she saw, as it turned out, an army of genetically modified people is not far away, so darpa presented a grant of 40 million dollars by the University of California and Pennsylvania for the development of implants that control memory about the Institute of Preclinical Research of the University of Texas is working under the darpa program on means of survival with significant blood loss. There are many institutes and universities and biological laboratories in the United States and each works in its allocated area, some laboratories are engaged in enzyme complexes that help survive at low temperatures; others are engaged in strengthening the skeleton and gaining muscle mass; we see distant echoes of such research in the results of laboratories that are completely open to the public, which breed unusually muscular mice or dogs; this work began in the 90s, 20 years ago, and this research is absolutely open about which they write in scientific journals what results the military has achieved at their closed facilities for such a long time and having unlimited funding, one can only guess on the eve of massive Russian air raids on terrorist positions, there were always many reports that American helicopters were arriving at the bases of militants controlled by them and taking them out leaders of terrorists, but where does such concern come from about a couple of bearded militants for whom a ton of kerosene and the engine life of an innova helicopter are wasted? This does not look like rescuing terrorist leaders, but rather rescuing valuable experimental material from a secret genetically modified organism. More recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke out on the topic of genetic modifications explaining that this kind of experiment is scarier atomic bomb that they should either be strictly controlled or should be banned altogether; a person acquires the ability to get into the genetic code created either by nature or people with religious views say by God the consequences practically what of this can occur, this means that it is already possible to imagine it even not very theoretically it can already you can practically imagine that a person can create a person with given characteristics, it could be a brilliant mathematician, it could be a brilliant musician, but there could also be a military man who can fight without fear and without a feeling of compassion, regret and without pain, and that is, you understand, humanity can enter and Most likely, in the near future we will enter a very difficult and very responsible period in the development of our existence, and here’s what else I said: it can be worse than a nuclear bomb when we do something and no matter what we do, I want to repeat this again, we must never forget about moral and ethical foundations, it is obvious that Putin, in his own words, hinted at secret genetic experiments USA we can assume how in the near future a new philosophy will be promoted synthetically modified genes is honestly gene doping is what eliminates the injustices committed by nature nature is cruel it gives generously to some and deprives others the deprived have no chance of becoming the first under no circumstances under any desire under no circumstances training, the only thing that can help them is the mind of doctors of medicine and the scientific progress of a society where gene doping is widespread and consists of millions of mutants, non-mutants will have a place in such a society, less and less old-style people will be doomed to extinction as super taxi drivers will not be able to compete with a phenomenal reaction super loaders working two shifts at a high pace super soldiers who know no fear and pain marvelous new world maybe it seems to you that all this is fantasy that has nothing to do with reality, let's see, the wait won't be long, after all, the future, to one degree or another, depends on each of us, but in the United States they allowed the creation of genetically modified people, in this matter the science of these but they collide with their heads balance is possible will remain, but it all depends on how far the scientists will go, well, let’s figure out what the US Academies of Sciences and Medicine can give the green light for, presented a report on lifting the ban on the creation in the future of people with an edited genome, but with the caveat that only correction of mutations leading to the occurrence of severe hereditary diseases is allowed diseases we are not talking about improving human traits and the ability to fear falling behind competitors too high; the main competitors in this matter are China and India; their views on genetics are different; after all, if you forget for a second about the ethical objections, intrusion into genetics can give a colossal advantage even at the level entire countries, so the slightest increase in the level of intelligence with the help of gene editing can have a huge impact on the growth of science, but in sports, imagine what an advantage there are, scientists say that with the help of genetics you can even suppress the tendency to violence, this will reduce the crime rate in general if we are talking about some we call them super people who maybe there are some other natural ways to improve a person but the most shining example the so-called positive eugenics Singapore concept was developed by the Prime Minister of Singapore; this is a kind of culling of undesirables; local sociologists noticed that many educated women do not start a family and do not give birth to children; men take poor Malayan Indian women as wives under the patronage of the state; they created two marriage agencies that were essentially engaged in pimping people with high level intelligence and good health at the expense of the state, cruises were organized, special cafes were built, gyms were paid to the resulting couples, huge benefits were paid, such love for the homeland of Great Britain, they finally legalized the creation of embryos using the DNA of 3 people, so the kingdom will become the first country in the world where already in next year A newborn will be born with three parents, according to scientists new technology will prevent the transmission of genetic disorders from mother to child, but critics believe that the decision to allow the birth of babies with deliberately altered genes may lead in the future to the emergence of so-called designer children, that is, people with specified properties in Kiev, a child was born using the method cytoplasmic donation, in other words, from three Ukrainian parents, doctors became the first in Europe to succeed in such a procedure

Purposes of creating GMOs

The use of both individual genes from different species and their combinations in the creation of new transgenic varieties and lines is part of the FAO strategy for the characterization, conservation and use of genetic resources in agriculture and food processing.

A 2012 study (based also on reports from seed companies) of the use of transgenic soybeans, corn, cotton and canola from 1996 to 2011 found that herbicide-tolerant crops were cheaper to grow and, in some cases, more productive. Crops containing the insecticide produced greater yields, especially in developing countries where previously used pesticides were ineffective. Also, insect-resistant crops were found to be cheaper to grow in developed countries. , according to a meta-analysis conducted in 2014, the yield of GMO crops due to the reduction in losses from pests is 21.6% higher than that of non-modified crops, while the consumption of pesticides is lower by 36.9%, the cost of pesticides is reduced by 39, 2%, and the income of agricultural producers increases by 68.2%.

Methods for creating GMOs

The main stages of creating GMOs:

1. Obtaining an isolated gene. 2. Introduction of the gene into a vector for transfer into the body. 3. Transfer of the vector with the gene into the modified organism. 4. Transformation of body cells. 5. Selection of genetically modified organisms and elimination of those that have not been successfully modified.

The process of gene synthesis is now very well developed and even largely automated. There are special devices equipped with computers, in the memory of which programs for the synthesis of various nucleotide sequences are stored. This apparatus synthesizes DNA segments up to 100-120 nitrogen bases in length (oligonucleotides).

If unicellular organisms or multicellular cell cultures are subject to modification, then at this stage cloning begins, that is, the selection of those organisms and their descendants (clones) that have undergone modification. When the task is to obtain multicellular organisms, cells with an altered genotype are used for vegetative propagation of plants or introduced into the blastocysts of a surrogate mother when it comes to animals. As a result, cubs are born with a changed or unchanged genotype, among which only those that exhibit the expected changes are selected and crossed with each other.

Application

In research

Currently, genetically modified organisms are widely used in fundamental and applied scientific research. With the help of genetically modified organisms, the patterns of development of certain diseases (Alzheimer's disease, cancer), the processes of aging and regeneration are studied, the functioning of the nervous system is studied, and a number of other pressing problems of biology and modern medicine are solved.

In medicine and pharmaceutical industry

Genetically modified organisms have been used in applied medicine since 1982. This year, genetically engineered human insulin, produced using genetically modified bacteria, was registered as a medicine. Currently, the pharmaceutical industry produces a large number of medicines based on recombinant human proteins: such proteins are produced by genetically modified microorganisms or genetically modified animal cell lines. Genetic modification in this case means that a human protein gene is introduced into the cell (for example, the insulin gene, the interferon gene, the beta-follitropin gene). This technology makes it possible to isolate proteins not from donor blood, but from GM organisms, which reduces the risk of drug contamination and increases the purity of the isolated proteins. Work is underway to create genetically modified plants that produce components of vaccines and medicines against dangerous infections (plague, HIV). Proinsulin obtained from genetically modified safflower is in clinical trials. A drug against thrombosis based on protein from the milk of transgenic goats has been successfully tested and approved for use.

In agriculture

Genetic engineering is used to create new plant varieties that are resistant to unfavorable environmental conditions and pests and have better growth and taste qualities.

Genetically modified varieties of forest species with a significant cellulose content in wood and rapid growth are being tested.

However, some companies place restrictions on the use of genetically modified seeds they sell, prohibiting the sowing of self-made seeds. This is achieved through legal restrictions such as contracts, patents or seed licensing. Also, for such restrictions, restrictive technologies were at one time being developed (English) Russian(GURT), which were never used in commercially available GM lines. . GURT technologies either make grown seeds sterile (V-GURT) or require special chemicals to develop the modified property (T-GURT). It is worth noting that F1 hybrids are widely used in agriculture, which, like GMO varieties, require the annual purchase of seed material. Some products contain a gene that makes pollen sterile, for example the barnase gene obtained from the bacterium en:Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.

Since 1996, when the cultivation of GM crops began, the area occupied by GM crops has grown to 175 million hectares in 2013 (more than 11% of all global cultivated areas). Such plants are grown in 27 countries, especially widely - in the USA, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, India, China, while since 2012, the production of GM varieties in developing countries has exceeded production in industrialized countries. Of the 18 million farmers growing GM crops, more than 90% are small farms in developing countries.

As of 2013, 36 countries that regulate the use of GM crops issued 2,833 permits for the use of such crops, of which 1,321 were for food consumption and 918 for livestock feed. A total of 27 GM crops (336 varieties) are allowed on the market; the main crops are: soybeans, corn, cotton, canola, and potatoes. Of the GM crops used, the vast majority of areas are occupied by crops that are resistant to herbicides, insect pests, or crops with a combination of these properties.

In animal husbandry

Gene editing has been used to create pigs that are potentially resistant to African swine fever. Changing five “letters” in the DNA code of the RELA gene in farmed animals has produced a variant of the gene that supposedly protects their wild relatives, warthogs and bush pigs, from the disease.

Other directions

Genetically modified bacteria are being developed that can produce environmentally friendly fuel.

In 2003, GloFish appeared on the market - the first genetically modified organism created for aesthetic purposes, and the first pet of its kind. Thanks to genetic engineering, the popular aquarium fish Danio rerio has received several bright fluorescent colors.

In 2009, the GM variety of rose “Applause” with flowers went on sale of blue color. Thus, the centuries-old dream of breeders who unsuccessfully tried to breed “blue roses” came true.

Safety

Recombinant DNA technology, which appeared in the early 1970s, opened up the possibility of producing organisms containing foreign genes (genetically modified organisms). This caused public concern and started a debate about the safety of such manipulations.

When asked about the safety of products made from genetically modified organisms, the World Health Organization responds that it is impossible to make general statements about the danger or safety of such products, but that a separate assessment is necessary in each case, since different genetically modified organisms contain different genes. WHO also believes that available on international market GM foods have undergone safety testing and have been consumed by populations of entire countries without reported effects, and are therefore unlikely to pose a health risk.

Currently, experts have obtained scientific data on the absence of increased danger of products from genetically modified organisms in comparison with products obtained from organisms bred traditional methods [ ] . As noted in the 2010 report of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Science and Information:

The main conclusion emerging from the efforts of more than 130 research projects, spanning 25 years of research and involving more than 500 independent research groups, is that biotechnology and, in particular, GMOs as such are no more dangerous than, e.g. , traditional plant breeding technologies

However, some scientists have raised concerns about the lack of long-term studies (2 years or more), the observed effects in some cases, and the possible shortcomings of existing tests.

The use of herbicide-resistant crops in combination with broad-spectrum herbicides negatively affects the biodiversity of wild plants, the fauna of agricultural lands, and also reduces the crop rotation necessary to improve soil fertility and reduce pathogen load.

Regulation

In some countries, the creation, production, and use of products using GMOs are subject to government regulation. Including in Russia, where several types of transgenic products have been studied and approved for use.

Until 2014, in Russia GMOs could only be grown in experimental plots; the import of certain varieties (not seeds) of corn, potatoes, soybeans, rice and sugar beets (22 plant lines in total) was allowed. On July 1, 2014, the Government Decree was supposed to come into force Russian Federation dated September 23, 2013 No. 839 “About state registration genetically engineered modified organisms intended for release into the environment, as well as products obtained using such organisms or containing such organisms." On June 16, 2014, the Government of the Russian Federation adopted Resolution No. 548 on postponing the entry into force of Resolution No. 839 by 3 years, that is, to July 1, 2017.

In February 2015, a bill banning the cultivation of GMOs in Russia was submitted to the State Duma, which was adopted in the first reading in April 2015. The ban does not apply to the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) for examinations and research work. According to the bill, the government will be able to ban the import of genetically modified organisms and products into Russia based on the results of monitoring their impact on humans and the environment. Importers of genetically modified organisms and products will be required to undergo registration procedures. For the use of GMOs in violation of the permitted type and conditions of use, administrative liability is provided: a fine of officials it is proposed to set the amount from 10 thousand to 50 thousand rubles; for legal entities - from 100 to 500 thousand rubles.

List of GMOs approved for use in Russia, including as food by the population:

Public opinion

Public opinion polls show that the public as a whole is not very aware of the basics of biotechnology. Most people believe statements like: Regular tomatoes do not contain genes, unlike transgenic tomatoes.

According to molecular biologist Anne Glover, opponents of GMOs suffer from a “form of mental insanity.” A. Glover's expressions led to her resignation from her post as chief scientific adviser to the Council of Europe.

In 2016, more than 120 Nobel laureates (including doctors and biologists) signed a letter calling on Greenpeace, the United Nations and governments around the world to stop fighting genetically modified organisms.

GMOs and religion

According to the Orthodox Jewish Union, genetic modifications do not affect the kosher quality of a product.

see also

Notes

  1. WHO | Frequently asked questions about genetically modified foods (undefined) . www.who.int. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  2. genetically modified organism Rome, 2001, FAO, ISSN 1020-0541
  3. European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation; Directorate E - Biotechnologies, Agriculture, Food; Unit E2 - Biotechnologies (2010) p.16
  4. What is agricultural biotechnology? // The state of food and agriculture 2003-2004: The state of food and agriculture 2003-2004. Agricultural Biotechnology. FAO Agriculture Series No. 35. (2004)
  5. Leshchinskaya I.B. Genetic engineering (Russian)(1996). Retrieved September 4, 2009. Archived January 21, 2012.
  6. Brookes G, Barfoot P. The global income and production effects of genetically modified (GM) crops 1996-2011. GM Crops Food. 2012 Oct-Dec;3(4):265-72.
  7. Klümper, Wilhelm; Qaim, Matin (2014). “A Meta-Analysis of the Impacts of Genetically Modified Crops.” PLoS ONE. 9 (11): –111629. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0111629 . Verified 2015-12-24.
  8. Trait Introduction Method: Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated plant transformation
  9. Microparticle bombardment of plant cells or tissue
  10. Safety of Genetically Engineered Foods: Approaches to Assessing Unintended Health Effects (2004)
  11. Jeffrey Green, Thomas Ried. Genetically Engineered Mice for Cancer Research: Design, Analysis, Pathways, Validation and Pre-clinical Testing. Springer, 2011
  12. Patrick R. Hof, Charles V. Mobbs. Handbook of the neuroscience of aging. p537-542
  13. Cisd2 deficiency drives premature aging and causes mitochondria-mediated defects in mice//Genes & Dev. 2009. 23: 1183-1194
  14. Insulin soluble [human genetically engineered (Insulin soluble): instructions, use and formula]
  15. History of the development of biotechnology (Russian) (unavailable link). Retrieved September 4, 2009. Archived July 12, 2007.
  16. Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala. UCF professor develops vaccine to protect against black plague bioterror attack(English) (30 July 2008). Retrieved October 3, 2009. Archived January 21, 2012.
  17. Obtaining an anti-HIV drug from plants (Russian)(April 1, 2009, 12:35). Retrieved September 4, 2009. Archived January 21, 2012.
  18. Insulin from plants is being tested in humans (Russian) (inaccessible link - story) . MEMBRANA (January 12, 2009). Retrieved September 4, 2009.
  19. Irina Vlasova. American patients will receive a goat (Russian) (unavailable link)(11 February 2009, 16:22). Retrieved September 4, 2009. Archived April 6, 2009.
  20. Matt Ridley. Genome: The Autobiography of a Species In 23 Chapters.HarperCollins, 2000, 352 pages
  21. The Mission Impossible of Genetic Redesign For Longevity
  22. Elements - science news: Transgenic cotton helped Chinese peasants defeat a dangerous pest
  23. And Russia is overgrown with transgenic birches… | Science and technology | Science and technology Russia
  24. Monsanto Seed Saving and Legal Activities
  25. Caleb Garling (San Francisco Chronicle), Monsanto seed suit and software patents // SFGate, February 23, 2013: “company’s genetically modified and pesticide-resistant seeds, which are patent-protected. .. Monsanto uses a similar strategy with its seeds. Farmers license their use; technically, they don’t buy them.”
  26. Are GM plants fertile, or farmers have to buy new seeds every year? // EuropaBio: "All GM plants commercialized are as fertile as their conventional counterparts."
  27. GM Events with Male sterility
  28. Gene: barnase