Genetic Engineering 101

Genetic Engineering 101Karen Ziegler, B.S.October 20, 2011

Welcome and thank you for your interest in todays presentation on Biotechnology. It sounds complicated and it is. But were going to touch on some definitions and hopefully help you to understand some terms that youll be seeing on your food labels and probably hearing about in the news. This subject is very controversial and you may get frustrated with the lack of power you have to make decisions. Many of these developments dont give us a choice. With a little education we might be able to eliminate some stress and embrace the changes with some understanding.

1Outline History of Biotechnology New Biotechnology = Genetic Engineering and GMOs Imagine Whats Happening to Fruits? What Are We Doing To Veggies? What Are We Doing To Animals? Pros of bt-foods Cons of bt-foods Benefits for Seniors Labels References

Please take a moment to look over the Outline. This topic just might get you thinking. 2History of Biotechnology Cheeses: Swiss vs. Cheddar. Provolone vs. Mozzarella. Feta vs. Parmesan. Bread: Wheat, White, French or Sourdough. Beer: Wheat, Pilsner, Ale, Lager, Amber, Stout.

Think about these examples. All are very different. Weve used Biotechnology since the beginning of time. We use it when we make cheese. We use it in making bread when we watch the yeast go to work. We use it when we brew beer and wine. We mix and watch it turn to alcohol and then treat it with an ingredient to kill any bacteria prior to bottling. We use it in our pharmaceutical practices. We mix things together and we get chemical changes. If we like the results then we do the same again. Or we might change it up a bit.

When we breed horses we might breed a hot tempered mare, to a more gentle stallion, with hopes to get a calm foal.

In vegetables we want strawberries to have a deep red color and be free of evidence of pests. Also it would be great if its not covered with pesticides. Clean fruit with vibrant color and of course the guarantee of great nutrition. Sourdough bread definitely goes through a chemical change. What about sour kraut? Sour kraut is placed into a vat and left to get sour! What can I say? Thats what it does! And we eat that sour kraut and we love it! Its very good for you by the way!

Weve been cross breeding for good genes and trying to weed out bad genes for centuries but in the 1970s DNA came on the scene and scientists started manipulating it. (Wieczorek, 2003).

All living things are made of DNA and DNA has genes. These genes perform specific functions. We can now isolate a gene and remove it from one living thing and add that gene to another living thing and the result is something possibly much better.3New Biotechnology=Genetic Engineering GMOs...ImagineSpecific genes are manipulatedwe get our desired result. This is called Biotechnology, GMOs or Genetic Engineering. Transgenic: Adding the gene of one species to another. Nickname: bt

Today were fine tuning the mechanics of altering DNA and getting very specific. Our experiments are much more precise. Instead of waiting for things to evolve, or brews to go through some chemical change over time, we now can make things happen on a molecular level. This has allowed the creation of this new science. It gets results fast. Biotechnology has a nickname of bt. You should start to recognize hints on labels of the supermarket foods now that these bt-foods are being produced. We have bt-corn, bt-soya, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and many others. 4ImagineId like my unborn child to have blue eyes.

Id like a dog exactly like the one that just died.

Id like my strawberries with an added peanut butter taste.Id like my spinach to last longer on the shelf.

Im going to grow grapes, which can grow in in bad soil, but they grow all year long!

What is on your wish list? Imagine it and just maybe its possible.

We pick the best of a litter of puppies and then we breed it to the best of another litter. Imagine skipping the time it takes for evolution and genetically isolating the genes so that your desired dog can be cloned immediately. There are hundreds of dog breeds and they all came from the wolf. (PBS, 2011). Imagine choosing your desired traits and ordering your puppy which will arrive within the length of only one pregnancy.

I add peanut butter and strawberries to my smoothies every morning. I could do that in one step with bt-foods. One fruit that has both tastes. And what about spinach. Does anyone else have the issue with spinach only lasting a few days? I have often found myself throwing out that bulk bag that I bought trying to save a buck. Well the new fruits and vegetables have much longer shelf lives.

5Whats Happening to Fruits?Transgenic Peppers can be made sweeter.Aroma precursors are added for better flavor.Transgenic tomatoes ripen on the vine and Survive transport and soften later. Graisins are giant raisins.

Hey Mr. Big Stuff!

Imagine taking the sweet flavor of a mango and placing it in a pepper. Flavors can easily be altered. Tomatoes are being developed with tougher skins that survive shipping because they take longer to ripen. They wont bruise so we dont have to pick them green. This means less wasted fruit. Is anyone questioning why Ive got peppers and tomatoes under fruits? Yes they are fruits (Wikipedia, 2011). 6What are we Doing to Veggies?Most of the U.S. soybeans are transgenic. They have a much higher protein content.bt-corn has a natural pesticide. bt-corn is pest resistant.Golden rice has A vitamins which now gives it a orange-like color. Vitamin A prevents blindness. Multi colored carrots.

Bt-corn is pest resistant due to the transfer of a natural bacterium that produces crystal proteins that kill insect larvae. The insect bites into the corn and dies. The corn doesnt need pesticides. The seed carries the gene needed to avoid needing any insect killers.

Golden rice contains beta-carotene which our bodies convert to vitamin A. Youll remember that carrots carry the beta-carotene but now we can get that same benefit from rice. Sounds fantastic right? We can send Golden Rice to Africa, for instance, and many children can avoid blindness from lack of Vitamin A.

And look at these beautiful carrots that claim to make you absorb 40% more calcium (Webecoist, 2009). Theyll look pretty fancy at a luncheon table also! Maybe color up a salad! Youll have your guests wondering what is in that dish! Even potatoes are available in colors. 7What Are We Doing to Animals?Beef are given hormones to increase muscularity. muscle = meat to eat Milk cows are producing 15% more milk. Farm raised Salmon get larger faster.Chickens are developing larger breasts.

Is that chicken drinking my milk?

Let us finally address the changes being made to animals. This is probably the most controversial. Hormones are given to cows to increase muscle mass. Hormones cause a 20% increase in growth in cattle (Huffington, 2011). These hormones cut down on the amount of food and water cattle need to finish off their weight before slaughter. This saves money and requires less man hours for workers. Certain genes are being used in cloning that can improve a herd quickly to provide cows that have more tender beef. A so called tenderness gene can be added. They can actually remove a toughness gene from the cow also (GMO, 2006). Farm Salmon is also given hormones to quicken its growth. And NO they are not on the same farm as the cows!Some say these hormones could cause early puberty but there hasnt been much testing done to prove this either way (Huffington, 2011). Chickens arent given hormones however antibiotics are used and they are also fed animal protein which is helping them boost in size.This chicken here might be on something extra special though!

8Pros of bt FoodsGreat tasting fruits and vegetables. And they look good too!

Developing Countries are using Food rations full of vitamins.

Little spoilage. Buy it ripe but eat it later. The food will lasts longer.

Less seasonal food as its available longer as weather wont matter.

More nutritious so less supplements are needed.

Healthy eating cuts down on medical bills.

More crops can be grown on less land and where it couldnt grow before. Less pests to worry about.

Lets look at the pros of this technology. These vegetables and fruits are more attractive. They can ripen on the vine because they have a built in system that keeps the skins tougher for transport and then they ripen after delivery. There is no rush to get it to market to avoid them spoiling. They simply last longer. And guess what? These crops can be grown where they couldnt before. In dry soil, wet soil, cold weather or hot. How about edible vaccines! Yes we can! Foods can be genetically altered so that they truly are medicinal meaning they are like a medicine. Can you imagine eating that apple a day and having it be your diabetes medicine? Can you imagine the abundance of great food. Maybe we can eat just one piece of fruit instead of 5 servings to get your needed daily nutrition. And as I mentioned earlier we can provide Golden Rice to a third world country altered to carry beta-carotene which prevents blindness in children. (Wieczorek, 2003).

Crops can have better nutritional value and also increased yields. Why? Because of an added gene that keeps insects away and stops food spoilage. The protein is from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which has been used for decades as the active ingredient of some natural insecticides (Wieczorek, 2003). But were placing it right in the seed.

Ive got to tell you that the most exciting development, for me, is the reduction in pest killers. Using less chemicals has got to lower Cancer risk. When we use chemicals on our plants they wash off into our ground water and streams and we get some of that everyday. When it washes into the ocean our seafood is affected. Using less insecticides is a good thing. And using less also minimizes worker exposure (Wieczorek, 2003). 9Cons of bt FoodsContamination to the gene.

The Monarch butterfly has been greatly affected by this crystal protein in bt-corn.

The new bt-plant may harm the natural plant.

A new stronger pest may evolve.

Will the new pest control cause cancer or promote a new super weed?We are changing nature. (A loaf of dog?)

Large companies will dominate.

Yes we are actually changing the DNA of the gene which is considered contamination. This new plant can recognize the other plant as a pest and wipe it out by taking over. The natural plant will look weaker and it will be. This is a problem when everyone isnt using the same seed. With built in pesticides do we run the risk of stronger pests evolving? Pests that need to be conquered?Will these new genes that work against pests end up causing more cancer?And what about the little farmers? Large companies, such as Monsanto, will dominate certain crops. What will the little farmers do for work? This forces our man power to change their thinking. Can all these farmers get jobs with the large companies? 93 Percent Of Soybeans And 80 Percent Of Corn In The U.S. Grow From Seeds Genetically Modified By Monsanto. (Emergency Food Supply, 2011). This is a problem if youre one of their neighbors and youre trying to grow soy. This gives rise to the possibility of cross contamination into the natural fields of the smaller farmers. That neighboring farmer will quickly have Monsanto seed in his field and he didnt pay for it. Monsanto has a patent on that seed!

Also, as noted on this slide, the Monarch Butterfly has been greatly affected by the crystal protein implanted in bt-corn. Please dont be upset by this cross between a dog and bread in my picture here. No this really isnt happening!10Benefits for SeniorsBetter nutrition from soybeans with higher protein.Potatoes with nutritional starch and improved amino acids.Taking your medication in the form of food. Combining medications through the use of food.Helping to prevent blindness by getting vitamin A from golden rice due to the beta-carotene genetically installed.Beans with more essential amino acids.Replacing organic with bt-foods is cheaper.No pesticides means less chemicals in our water.

I want to take a moment to reflect on this slide and to go over just some of the benefits of this genetic science. (Pause to read aloud).Nutritionists will tell you that its important to eat a variety of foods to get all the vitamins you need. As we age were often challenged trying to get all these foods together to cover all the bases. Sometimes we dont have a desire to eat because of a loss of taste. Sometimes our bodies dont absorb the vitamins due to menopause or medications or maybe due to a complication with an illness. Many of the reasons our bodies dont get what they need is beyond our control. We think were eating right and we have good weight but we arent healthy on the inside. Or maybe were eating like crazy and cant gain weight. Maybe were eating what appears to be healthy but weve put on to much weight. Blood work can tell us what we lack and with these results we can use bt-foods to fill in the blanks and hopefully increase the health of our nation starting with good nutritional food. 11LabelsTable 1. Examples of voluntary labeling under proposed FDA guidelinesWording on Label FDA CommentGMO free (does not contain genetically modified organisms). OR Not genetically modified.Not recommended. Free implies zero content, which is nearly impossible to verify. Genetically modified is an inappropriate term, in that all crop varieties have been modified by plant breeders. We do not use ingredients produced using biotechnology.OKThis oil is made from soybeans that were not genetically engineered.OKThis cantaloupe was not genetically engineered.May be misleading, because it implies that other cantaloupes may be genetically engineered. Currently, there are no such varieties on the market.Genetically engineered. OKThis product contains cornmeal that was produced using biotechnology.OKThis product contains high oleic acid soybean oil from soybeans developed using biotechnology to decrease the amount of saturated fat. guidelines.

OK. The underlined part is mandatory because it indicates a nutritional change. The rest is voluntary under the proposed guidelines.Byrne, P. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09371.html

Hopefully you can make out this slide which has some smaller writing but it shows how confusing even the government can be with labeling. The first example shows GMO free which the FDA then commented that the statement is impossible to verify. And when it says cantaloupe is not genetically engineered the FDA then points out that its a misleading statement because it implies that other cantaloupe ARE genetically engineered. How about a mayonnaise label that says made from eggs from free range chickens. How could they be sure they were free range? Manufacturers are really playing with labels these days but you might see GMO free or non-bt or hormone free. Organic foods supposedly have no pesticides used on them. Some things dont have labels. For instance bananas generally have a plastic bag around them at best. Sometimes this bag says organic. Please note that there is no such thing as organic bananas. (Oleksowicz, 2011). Organic generally means no pesticides. Unfortunately we cant believe everything we read. Dont get overwhelmed with labels.

The truth is mandatory labeling of genetically engineered (GE) foods in the United States has been proposed, but not enacted, at the national, state, or local levels (Byrne, 2010). They are still working on that. 12ReferencesByrne, P. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09371.html

The Emergency Food Supply, (2011). Retrieved from http://theemergencyfoodsupply.com/archives/93-percent-of-soybeans-and-80-percent-of-corn-in-the-u-s-grow-from-seeds-genetically-altered-by-monsanto

Food and Drug Administration. (2011). http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/FoodLabelingNutrition/ucm059098.htm

GMO Food for Thought, (2011). Retrieved from http://www.gmofoodforthought.com/2006/08/genetically_altered_cattle_wha.htm

Huffington Post, (2011). Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/31/hormones-in-food-should-y_n_815385.html

Nestle, M. (2007). Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. Berkley, CA University of California Press.

Oak, Manali. (2011). http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pros-and-cons-of-genetic-engineering.html

Oleksowicz, M. (2011). Kaplan University, HW220-Unit 5. Lecture October 20, 2011.

Public Broadcasting Station. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/lessons/from-wolf-to-dog/lesson-overview/4783/

Schlenker, E. D., & Long, S. (2011). Williams Essentials of Nutrition & Diet Therapy, (10th Edition). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.

Schlosser, E. (2001). Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal.New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Webecoist, (2011). Retrieved from http://webecoist.com/2009/02/19/genetically-modified-fruits-vegetables/

Wieczorek, Ania. (2003). Use of Biotechnology in AgricultureBenefits and Risks retrieved from http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/BIO-3.pdf

Wikipedia Dictionary. (2011). Peppers fruit or vegetable. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetable

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