Detection of genetically modified DNA in fresh and processed foods sold in Kuwait

Developments in genetic engineering technology have led to an increase in number of food products that contain genetically engineered crops in the global market. However, due to lack of scientific studies, the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the Kuwaiti food market is currently ambiguous. Foods both for human and animal consumption are being imported from countries that are known to produce GM food. Therefore, an attempt has been made to screen foods sold in the Kuwaiti market to detect GMOs in the food. For this purpose, samples collected from various markets in Kuwait have been screened by SYBR green-based real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. Further confirmation and GMO quantification was performed by TaqMan-based RT-PCR. Results indicated that a significant number of food commodities sold in Kuwait were tested positive for the presence of GMO. Interestingly, certain processed foods were tested positive for more than one transgenic events showing complex nature of GMOs in food samples. Results of this study clearly indicate the need for well-defined legislations and regulations on the marketing of approved GM food and its labeling to protect consumer's rights.     

基因工程的应用及其安全性管理

基因工程在农业、食品、医药、环保等方面有广泛的应用,同时对生态环境、人类健康、伦理道德、社会经济有不同程度的影响和潜在危害。加强基因工程的安全管理是基因工程产业健康发展的前提。本文就基因工程的应用及影响、安全性管理等问题进行了探讨。     

科学视角下的转基因技术认知和发展

转基因技术是现代生物技术的核心,在缓解资源约束、保障食物安全、保护生态环境、拓展农业功能等方面呈现出重要作用和巨大潜力。我国和世界上许多国家都把转基因技术作为抢占科技制高点、增强农业国际竞争力的战略选择。通过介绍农业转基因技术目前发展概况、舆论环境成因、应用趋势和本质特征,以及农业转基因生物安全管理的要求和情况,并对我国农业转基因技术产业发展进行思考和探索,帮助人们更好地了解转基因技术、更为科学地对待其应用和发展。     

Plastid biotechnology for crop production: present status and future perspectives

The world population is expected to reach an estimated 9.2 billion by 2050. Therefore, food production globally has to increase by 70% in order to feed the world, while total arable land, which has reached its maximal utilization, may even decrease. Moreover, climate change adds yet another challenge to global food security. In order to feed the world in 2050, biotechnological advances in modern agriculture are essential. Plant genetic engineering, which has created a new wave of global crop production after the first green revolution, will continue to play an important role in modern agriculture to meet these challenges. Plastid genetic engineering, with several unique advantages including transgene containment, has made significant progress in the last two decades in various biotechnology applications including development of crops with high levels of resistance to insects, bacterial, fungal and viral diseases, different types of herbicides, drought, salt and cold tolerance, cytoplasmic male sterility, metabolic engineering, phytoremediation of toxic metals and production of many vaccine antigens, biopharmaceuticals and biofuels. However, useful traits should be engineered via chloroplast genomes of several major crops. This review provides insight into the current state of the art of plastid engineering in relation to agricultural production, especially for engineering agronomic traits. Understanding the bottleneck of this technology and challenges for improvement of major crops in a changing climate are discussed.     

Techne versus Technoscience: Divergent (and Ambiguous) Notions of Food "Quality" in the French Debate over GM Crops

In the French debate over genetically modified organisms (GMOs), actors present divergent definitions of food quality located between poles of technoscience and techne. Although scientists often define food quality in terms of technoscience, assessing food safety, small farmers often appeal to technes of production, positing GMOs as a rupture with artisanal culture. Whereas small farmers (from the union the Confédération Paysanne [CP]) deploy notions of "techne" to promote their anti-GMO campaign, they often define quality in an ambiguous way, vacillating between ideas of agricultural method (technique) or production scale. Despite this ambiguity, the CP successfully designates GMOs as la malbouffe , or "bad" food, establishing themselves as protectors of artisanal technés such as Roquefort. Finally, unlike many cultures that cast GMOs as "unnatural," the CP tends to frame GMOs as "uncultural." In the French debate, the CP posits culture against a "culturelessness" associated with technoscience and industry-driven foods such as GMOs and McDonald's.     

Gene transfer technology in aquaculture

The gene transfer technique, transgenesis, has permitted the transfer of genes from one organism to another to create new lineages of organisms with improvement in traits important to aquaculture. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), therefore, hold promise for producing genetic improvements, such as enhanced growth rate, increased production and efficiency, disease resistance and expanded ecological ranges. The basic procedure to generate transgenic fish for aquaculture includes: (1) design and construction of transgenic DNA; (2) transfer of the gene construct into fish germ cells; (3) screening for transgenic fish; (4) determination of transgene expression and phenotype; (5) study of inheritance; and (6) selection of stable lines of transgenics.GMOs offer economic benefits, but also pose environmental threats. Optimising the mix of benefits and risks is of fundamental importance. The potential economic benefits of transgenic technology to aquaculture are obvious. Transgenic fish production has the goal of producing food for human consumption; thus the design of genetic constructs must take into consideration the potential risks to consumer health, as well as marketing strategies and product acceptance in the market.     

Transgenic foods as a tool for malnutrition elimination and their impact on agricultural systems.

GMO crops were introduced for commercial production in 1996. Since then, their use has increased rapidly. GMOs have primarily benefited large farms and multinational companies in Industrialised Countries and now is more and more debating their utilisation in Developing World. The objective of the present review is an analysis of this subject from a comprehensive point of view; in addition to that, the changes related to the nutritional content of transgenic foods will be treated. Despite the progress that has been made, the world food situation is still marked by mass hunger and chronic malnutrition. In particular micronutrient malnutrition, that means vitamin and mineral deficiencies, represents an important public health problem in several areas of the world. The "golden rice" bioengineered to contain beta-carotene, as a source of vitamin A is the most famous example of GM food used for reduction (or even to solve) of a public health problem. The expected results of this approach have presently not been achieved. Further studies are necessary to increase the general knowledge about GMOs and their long-term effects on human health. Collaborative attitude of different research sectors (private and public) and involvement of different sectors of society will be an added value for comprehension of the real impact of the application of modern biotechnology to food and agriculture systems.     

Agricultural biotechnologies in developing countries and their possible contribution to food security

Latest FAO figures indicate that an estimated 925 million people are undernourished in 2010, representing almost 16% of the population in developing countries. Looking to the future, there are also major challenges ahead from the rapidly changing socio-economic environment (increasing world population and urbanisation, and dietary changes) and climate change. Promoting agriculture in developing countries is the key to achieving food security, and it is essential to act in four ways: to increase investment in agriculture, broaden access to food, improve governance of global trade, and increase productivity while conserving natural resources. To enable the fourth action, the suite of technological options for farmers should be as broad as possible, including agricultural biotechnologies. Agricultural biotechnologies represent a broad range of technologies used in food and agriculture for the genetic improvement of plant varieties and animal populations, characterisation and conservation of genetic resources, diagnosis of plant or animal diseases and other purposes. Discussions about agricultural biotechnology have been dominated by the continuing controversy surrounding genetic modification and its resulting products, genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The polarised debate has led to non-GMO biotechnologies being overshadowed, often hindering their development and application. Extensive documentation from the FAO international technical conference on Agricultural Biotechnologies in Developing Countries (ABDC-10), that took place in Guadalajara, Mexico, on 1-4 March 2010, gave a very good overview of the many ways that different agricultural biotechnologies are being used to increase productivity and conserve natural resources in the crop, livestock, fishery, forestry and agro-industry sectors in developing countries. The conference brought together about 300 policy-makers, scientists and representatives of intergovernmental and international non-governmental organisations, including delegations from 42 FAO Member States. At the end of ABDC-10, the Member States reached a number of key conclusions, agreeing, inter alia, that FAO and other relevant international organisations and donors should significantly increase their efforts to support the strengthening of national capacities in the development and appropriate use of pro-poor agricultural biotechnologies.     

Repurposing biomedical muscle tissue engineering for cellular agriculture: challenges and opportunities

Cellular agriculture is an emerging field rooted in engineering meat-mimicking cell-laden structures using tissue engineering practices that have been developed for biomedical applications, including regenerative medicine. Research and industrial efforts are focused on reducing the cost and improving the throughput of cultivated meat (CM) production using these conventional practices. Due to key differences in the goals of muscle tissue engineering for biomedical versus food applications, conventional strategies may not be economically and technologically viable or socially acceptable. In this review, these two fields are critically compared, and the limitations of biomedical tissue engineering practices in achieving the important requirements of food production are discussed. Additionally, the possible solutions and the most promising biomanufacturing strategies for cellular agriculture are highlighted.     

The future of transgenic plants in developing countries.

Whatever their own policies may be, developing countries will inevitably be affected by the development of genetically-modified organisms in industrialized countries. While maintaining a cautious attitude, most of these countries wish to keep their options open, thus protecting themselves from the risk of being deprived of future technologies that might allow them to achieve self-sufficiency in food production, to resolve certain problems confronting their most vulnerable populations and to preserve the international competitiveness of their products. Companies should see that it is in their interest to help these countries implement their own policies, notably through an open attitude to industrial property. If the value of genetic engineering is thus confirmed, then it perhaps in this manner that GMOs will earn the legitimacy required to make them acceptable to the people of Northern countries where the majority of solvent markets are located.     

转基因食品安全性评价研究进展

自1996年全球转基因作物大规模商业化生产以来,转基因作物种植面积以年均10%左右的速度迅速增长,2013年种植面积已达1.75亿hm2。其在解决全球粮食问题、环境保护、提升粮食营养质量和品质、制药以及推动经济可持续发展方面展现了重要作用。但是,随着转基因商业化生产的深入,转基因技术的潜在风险性引起了社会以及国际上更广泛的关注。事实上,在转基因技术出现之初,科学家们就开始关注其安全性问题。相关国际组织（FAO、WHO、CAC、OECD等）经过数次研究制订了一系列与转基因食品安全性有关的评价原则、指南与措施等。随着转基因技术的发展,这些安全评价策略也在不断完善。我国目前已经基本建立了转基因食品的安全评价和管理体系。转基因食品在进入市场前要经过十分全面以及系统的安全性评价,包括营养学、毒理学、过敏性等方面,从而保障转基因食品的安全性。     

Agricultural biotechnologies in developing countries and their possible contribution to food security

Latest FAO figures indicate that an estimated 925 million people are undernourished in 2010, representing almost 16% of the population in developing countries. Looking to the future, there are also major challenges ahead from the rapidly changing socio-economic environment (increasing world population and urbanisation, and dietary changes) and climate change.Promoting agriculture in developing countries is the key to achieving food security, and it is essential to act in four ways: to increase investment in agriculture, broaden access to food, improve governance of global trade, and increase productivity while conserving natural resources. To enable the fourth action, the suite of technological options for farmers should be as broad as possible, including agricultural biotechnologies. Agricultural biotechnologies represent a broad range of technologies used in food and agriculture for the genetic improvement of plant varieties and animal populations, characterisation and conservation of genetic resources, diagnosis of plant or animal diseases and other purposes. Discussions about agricultural biotechnology have been dominated by the continuing controversy surrounding genetic modification and its resulting products, genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The polarised debate has led to non-GMO biotechnologies being overshadowed, often hindering their development and application.Extensive documentation from the FAO international technical conference on Agricultural Biotechnologies in Developing Countries (ABDC-10), that took place in Guadalajara, Mexico, on 1–4 March 2010, gave a very good overview of the many ways that different agricultural biotechnologies are being used to increase productivity and conserve natural resources in the crop, livestock, fishery, forestry and agro-industry sectors in developing countries. The conference brought together about 300 policy-makers, scientists and representatives of intergovernmental and international non-governmental organisations, including delegations from 42 FAO Member States. At the end of ABDC-10, the Member States reached a number of key conclusions, agreeing, inter alia, that FAO and other relevant international organisations and donors should significantly increase their efforts to support the strengthening of national capacities in the development and appropriate use of pro-poor agricultural biotechnologies.     

海洋红酵母的研究进展

海洋红酵母富含氨基酸、维生素及类胡萝卜素等多种营养物质,有较好的耐盐性,是天然色素源、极具潜力的饲料蛋白和食品添加剂,具有很高的应用价值。概述了海洋红酵母的主要特性,总结了国内外海洋红酵母菌种、培养条件及工业应用等方面的研究进展及发展前景。     

The dispersal of bacteria from leaf surfaces by water splash

J. BUTTERWORTH AND H.A. McCARTNEY. 1991. Advances in the techniques of genetic engineering have made possible the use of genetically manipulated micro-organisms (GMOs) for the control of pests and diseases. Before GMOs can be widely used in agriculture, however, their fate after release must be understood. Dispersal of released GMOs will have an important influence on their action or survival under field conditions. The object of this study was to quantify the efficiency of rain as a means of removing and disseminating such micro-organisms from foliar crop surfaces.
Spontaneous mutants of three species of bacteria ( Pseudomonas syringae, Klebsiella planticola and Bacillus subtilis ), resistant to the antibiotic rifampicin, were sprayed on two plant species, french bean, Phaseolus vulgaris , and oilseed rape, Brassica napus. The leaves from the plants were then exposed to artificial rain and splash droplets generated by the impact on the leaves were collected on selective nutrient agar in Petri dishes and in sterile glass 28 ml screw-capped bottles. The bacterial content of the splashed drops was assessed, as was the content of the water which ran off the leaf surfaces. Comparisons of the numbers of bacteria removed from the leaves with the numbers applied prior to splashing show that rainfall can be a very efficient means of removing bacteria from foliar surfaces, but that most of the removed bacteria run off to the soil. Only a small proportion was splashed relatively short distances from the source.     

The use of GMOs (genetically modified organisms): agricultural biotechnology or agricultural biopolitics?

Agricultural biotechnologies embrace a large array of conventional and modern technologies, spanning from composting organic by-products of agriculture to innovative improvement of quality traits of about twenty out of the mostly cultivated plants. In EU a rather restrictive legislative framework has been installed for GMOs, requiring a risk assessment disproportionate with respect to conventional agriculture and organic farming products. The latter are far from being proved safe for human and animal health, and for the environment.Biotechnology of GMOs has been overtaken by biopolitics. On one side there are biotechnological challenges to be tackled, on another side there is plenty of ground for biopolitical decisions about GMOs. Perhaps the era of harsh confrontation could be fruitfully replaced by sensible cooperation, in order to get a sustainable agricultural development.     

Gentechnik und Lebensmittel: Der lange Weg vom Labor auf den Tisch

In highly industrialised countries, adequate nutrition is readily available. With or without gene technology, only safe and healthy products of high quality are allowed on the market. However, in some fields, the application of genetic engineering may contribute to the sustainable and economic production of even better foodstuffs. Although genetic engineering of organisms should not imply nove or higher risks than genetic modifications by nature or classical breeding methods, people are afraid of this new technology. This is largely because public knowledge about gene engineering in plant and food production is very low. Risk perception is easily influenced by the media which tends to portray food technology, especially related to genetic engineering, in a negative light. Therefore, it is necessary to inform the public about new technologies in a rational and open minded way and to recognize the risks and benefits.     

Opposition to transgenic technologies: ideology, interests and collective action frames

Genetic engineering has enabled significant, accepted innovations in medicine and other fields. In agriculture, however, a global cognitive divide around 'genetically modified organisms' (GMOs) has limited the diffusion and scope of this technology. The framing of agricultural products of recombinant DNA technology as GMOs lacks biological coherence, but has proved to be a powerful frame for opposition. Disaggregating the concept of the 'GMO' is a necessary condition for confronting misconceptions that constrain the use of biotechnology in addressing imperatives of development and escalating challenges from nature, especially in less-industrialized nations.     

绿色荧光蛋白及其在GMOs 生态监测中的应用

绿色荧光蛋白 (green fluorescent protein, GFP)是在海洋无脊椎动物水母(Aequorea victoria)中获得的一种由238个氨基酸组成的多肽。该多肽通过翻译后加工形成生色基团, 产生稳定的荧光, 而且这种荧光很容易被检测。GFP作为动、植物以及微生物基因工程研究上的一种广泛的选择标记, 具有检测灵敏度高、操作简便、不需要添加任何底物或辅助因子等优点, 更重要的是利用GFP可对GMOs进行快速、原位、实时、活体监测。本文概括介绍了GFP的特性、改造及其检测, 并从生态学角度论述了GFP在GMOs生态监测研究中的应用及其发展前景。     

绿色荧光蛋白及其在GMOs生态监测中的应用

绿色荧光蛋白（green fluorescent protein,GFP）是在海洋无脊椎动物水母（Aequorea victoria）中获得的一种由238个氨基酸组成的多肽。该多肽通过翻译后加工形成生色基团,产生稳定的荧光,而且这种荧光很容易被检测。GFP作为动、植物以及微生物基因工程研究上的一种广泛的选择标记,具有检测灵敏度高、操作简便、不需要添加任何底物或辅助因子等优点,更重要的是利用GFP可对GMOs进行快速、原位、实时、活体监测。本文概括介绍了GFP的特性、改造及其检测,并从生态学角度论述了GFP在GMOs生态监测研究中的应用及其发展前景。