Biotechnology in Food- Risk Assessment

Probably not a discovery in the field of green biotechnology was in such a short time, far-reaching consequences on agriculture, as the method described in 1983 for the genetic modification of plants through genetic engineering. In 2005, these GM varieties account for 60% of the soybean crop in the world, 14% corn, 28% cotton and 18% of rape between 2003 and 2005, the overall increase in housing throughout the world intended to GM crops was 33%. This clearly shows that the application of genetic engineering in agriculture has been a great economic success.

Genetic modification of crops have focused on producing varieties for cut crop losses due to insects and weeds. recent developments dealing with the protection against viral and fungal infections, increased tolerance to drought and salinity, the formation of male sterile plants for the generation of hybrid production, and improving the nutritional quality of crops and increasing the shelf-life of many perishable products like tomatoes, identifying the genes responsible for early maturation of the same.

Although the benefits of genetically modified organisms are numerous and more and more research is directed toward the field, the use of GMOs may pose risks to human health and development. Many genes used for GMOs in food supply have not been before. As new types of traditional food crops are generally not subject to a pre-market safety assessment, assessment of genetically modified foods are usually made before the first crops are marketed. It 'necessary to assess the risks to consider both intentional and unintentional effects of these foods in the food chain. GM foods are currently marketed in the international market have passed risk assessments in several countries and are not subject, and have been shown to pose risks to human health. But still there are many questions that must be handled with care.

The application of modern biotechnology to food production presents new opportunities and new challenges to human health and development. recombination, the most famous modern biotechnology, can plants, animals and micro-organisms genetically modified (GM) with new features beyond what is possible through the selection and conventional breeding techniques. E 'acknowledged that techniques such as cloning, tissue culture and marker-assisted breeding are often considered as modern biotechnology, in addition to the genetic modification.

The challenge of producing more food grains to feed a growing world population and reduce agricultural waste and increasing productivity with fewer resources has led companies to invest in GM crops and undertake new research in the field. The advantages are many encouraging results. What is needed is a concerted effort to allay fears.