Genetically modified Organisms (GMOs) are microorganism or organisms with the altered genetic material. Their products are commercially available and have been thoroughly scrutinized for their potential effects on human health. They are developed through the process of altering an organism’s genetic material called genetic re-engineering (Li, Peng, Hallerman, & Wu, 2014). There are three main modes of modification aimed at changing the phenotype of an organism. The first type is knocking out of genes, it a process of modifying the gene in the organism to prevent the cell from producing protein. The second type is the addition of genes to add new protein required for the organism. The new proteins give the organism new abilities that are naturally absent in them. The third approach is changing the protein function through point mutation. Changing one nucleotide in a gene may influence the presence of amino acid hence affecting the gene’s chemical structure (Rzymski, & Królczyk, 2016). The end products provide economic benefits to the farmer and real health benefits to the consumer making GMOs safe for human consumption.
Genetic engineering uses molecular biology techniques to modify the genetic code of a particular organism. The modification of the genetic code leads to physical changes. GMOs, therefore, have changes in genotype and phenotypes. The chemical composition of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is composed of four building blocks or nucleotides. The building blocks include adenosine, thymidine, guanosine, and cytidine. These nucleotides are connected in an order that provides a genetic code of an organism. Proteins are produced on the bodies of living systems based on the genetic code. They are a sequence of amino acid assembled in the body with the help of genetic code. Proteins catalyze biochemical reactions, facilitate organismal communication, provide structural support and transport of chemicals in and out of the cells.
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The purpose of genetically engineering crop plants is to change the DNA which codes the protein. It is a process conducted to change the functions of the protein in the crop. The main modification used in plants is introducing a new trait that does not traditionally occur in the plant species. The desired traits include insect resistance, drought resistance, disease resistance and herbicide tolerance. Insect resistance allows farmers to have longtime protection against pests, which lowers the cost of pest protection. Genetically modified crops with drought resistance traits can survive in drier areas allowing farmers to conserve water and other environmental resources (Li, Peng, Hallerman, & Wu, 2014). Herbicide-tolerant crops reduce the costs involved in fighting weeds. They reduce the use of herbicides that emit carbon into the atmosphere.
GMOs do not differ in nutritional benefits from non-GMO crops hence should be included in our eating plan. The most commonly found GMO crops include corn, SDA oil squash, papaya, golden rice, soya beans, potatoes and the non-browning apple that resist bruising. They are found in local supermarkets and food stores and are largely consumed by the rest of the population. Others also have additional health benefits that non-GMO products do not have. For instance, Golden Rice is fortified with Vitamin A and SDA oil has omega-3 fatty acid that the body needs (Kamthan et al., 2016).
The World Health Organization, American Diet Association, and European Commission have all agreed that GMOs are fit for human consumption. To ensure safer production and use of GMO products, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established regulations that govern the changes made on the conventional traits on an organism before marketing it as food. For instance, FDA considers whether the GMO is allergic or toxic and whether its important nutrients and anti-nutrients in a manner that affect food safety or nutritional value. GMO products must also adhere to the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic (FDC) Act. The GMO growers, distributors, and manufacturers must all engage in consultations with the FDA before commercializing their products to ensure the safety of the consumers. The FDA and FDC regulation help the agency concerned with regulation to create room for voluntary regulatory consolations processes to solve the health issues that may arise before the commercial distribution of GMO products (Kamthan et al., 2016). The process of regulation ensures rigorous food evaluating since the FDA requests for additional data and information from developer to ensure all legal issues related to food safety are resolved .
In conclusion, GMO products product provide economic benefits to the farmer and real health benefits to the consumer. They are organisms engineered through molecular processing to ensure high yields. Commonly found GMOs are readily available in supermarkets and have similar nutritional value witch non-GMO plants. The Food and Drug Administration works together with other food safety agencies in the state to regulate the development and distribution of GMO products.
References
Kamthan, A., Chaudhuri, A., Kamthan, M., & Datta, A. (2016). Genetically modified (GM) crops: milestones and new advances in crop improvement. Theoretical and applied genetics , 129 (9), 1639-1655.
Li, Y., Peng, Y., Hallerman, E. M., & Wu, K. (2014). Biosafety management and commercial use of genetically modified crops in China. Plant cell reports , 33 (4), 565-573.
Rzymski, P., & Królczyk, A. (2016). Attitudes toward genetically modified organisms in Poland: to GMO or not to GMO?. Food Security , 8 (3), 689-697.
