The genetically modified foods debate: demystifying the controversy through analytical chemistry

Abstract

The genetic manipulation of foods, including plants and animals, has been pursued for hundreds of years. It could be argued that Gregor Mendel was already performing genetic manipulation in the 19th century. As early as in 1885, Mendel presented his first paper entitled “Experiments on Plant Genetic Hybridization”, which he published in 1886 in the Proceedings of the Natural History Society of Brunn. While Mendel’s work was then overlooked and even criticized, it is now considered a cornerstone of modern genetics and genetic manipulation. It was not until the early 20th century that Mendel’s work was taken seriously, and his experiments reproduced and further expanded by an array of notable geneticists and evolutionary biologists. Arguably, so-called selective breeding is a result of Mendel’s initial work. Selective breeding has been used to create fruits of exotic taste, roses with specific colors and fragrances, and chicken that lay eggs that are lower in cholesterol content. This technique is limited to endowing or enhancing one particular species with a trait that is native to the same species. There is no inter-species crossing, and, thus, it is viewed by most as harmless genetic manipulation. The advent of biotechnology allowed genetic modification and “selective breeding” to become more precise genetic manipulation through the introduction of specific genes that were not indigenous to the species. New traits could be introduced into already elite varieties to produce enhanced properties. Inter-species crossing has enhanced traditional crops by breeding of insect-resistant and increased nutritional value corn and rice, respectively. Much controversy has followed this species modification and subsequent creation of genetically modified foods. Proponents of GM foods highlight the potential humanitarian ramifications of GM crops proliferation placing emphasis upon the increased nutrition and heartiness of the crops, in relation to combating malnutrition and world hunger. The proponents of genetically modified foods engage in the advantages that they provide with regard to nutrition and help in the fight to end human malnutrition and hunger. The opponents, on the contrary, cite the fact that allergies and inter-species gene transfer may be hazardous to human health. The GM foods debate is global, impacting all societies regardless of their socioeconomic status. The potential impact on the poor and in ending human hunger is especially important and may outweigh some concerns imposed by the detractors of these foods. Major concerns of those who oppose genetically modified (GM) foods include the risk of allergenicity in humans and the potential negative environmental effects of modified crops. Although GM foods are extensively tested for the risk of allergenicity, cases of allergenicity—such as GM peas in mice—have received much publicity. GM peas were never introduced to the public sector, yet this case has been touted by opponents of GM foods as a prime example of their potential hazards to human health. Another issue that has been widely publicized is the possible transfer of antibiotic resistant genes from GM foods to the microflora housed in Anal Bioanal Chem (2008) 392:327–331 DOI 10.1007/s00216-008-2312-5