ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF POPULAR GENETICALLY MODIFIED PLANTS AND ANIMALS- A REVIEW
Dr. Puspasree Puhan*
ABSTRACT
A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. Organisms that have been genetically modified include micro-organisms such as bacteria and yeast, insects, plants, fish, and mammals. In conventional livestock production, crop farming, and even pet breeding, it has long been the practice to breed select individuals of a species in order to produce offspring that have desirable traits. Combining genes from different organisms is known as recombinant DNA technology and the resulting organism is said to be ‗Genetically modified (GM)‘ or ‗Transgenic‘. The principal transgenic crops grown commercially in field are herbicide and insecticide resistant soybeans, corn, cotton and canola. Other crops grown commercially and/or field-tested are sweet potato resistant to a virus that could destroy most of the African harvest, rice with increased iron and vitamins that may alleviate chronic malnutrition in Asian countries and a variety of plants that are able to survive weather extremes. There are bananas that produce human vaccines against infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, fish that mature more quickly, fruit and nut trees that yield years earlier and plants that produce new plastics with unique properties. Technologies for genetically modifying foods offer dramatic promise for meeting some areas of greatest challenge for the 21st century. Controversies and public concern surrounding GM foods and crops commonly focus on human and environmental safety, labelling and consumer choice, intellectual property rights, ethics, food security, poverty reduction and environmental conservation. What are the risks of recombinant technology or it is really beneficial. This review will also address some major concerns about the safety, environmental and ecological risks and health hazards involved with GM foods and recombinant technology.
Keywords: Genetically modified foods, Recombinant DNA technology, Transgenes, Food Safety, intellectual property right, Allergenic foods,
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