Biotechnology involves engineering food for commercial interests by altering the genetics of organisms to provide economical and physiological advantages. Genetic engineering adds food value to biotech foods while lowering the price of your food product. Supporters of biotech foods report biotechnology introduces new ways of feeding the hungry, providing more nutrients and decreasing agricultural expenses. Opponents of biotech foods report concerns surrounding the consumption of genetically altered food products and the effects these modifications pose to the human body and the environment.
Cheese
A majority of the hard cheese products on the market today are genetically engineered. Hard cheeses are cheeses that have been aged or ripened by bacteria or mold. Bacteria-ripened hard cheeses include Cheddar, Colby, Parmesan and brick.The biotech enzyme used to manufacture these cheeses is chymosin. According to North Carolina State University, chymosin is manufactured using genetically-engineered bacteria, a purer form of the natural bacteria produced in the stomach tissue of a calf.
Tomatoes
Biotechnology affords advantages of producing better-tasting and nutritious fruits and vegetables. Genetically-engineered produce promotes more desirable traits while decreasing undesirable characteristics. For example, desirable traits improve the ability of the fruit or vegetable to ripen on the vine and increase their shelf life. Some tomatoes are genetically engineered with increased vitamin levels to help protect against chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
Rice
According North Carolina State University, some forms of rice are engineered to increase iron levels in efforts to combat iron deficiency, a condition affecting more than 2 billion individuals. Rice was initially chosen as a food that could be genetically engineered to feed third-world countries. Through genetic engineering, a type of African rice was crossed with Asian rice to produce high yields of this crop with drought and disease resistance. This new biotech food encompasses thousands of acres of land in West Africa.
Corn
Eighty-six percent of all corn grown in the United States is genetically engineered, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Biotech corn is modified by regulating the genes to produce an increased resistance for drought, a larger yield and an enhanced tolerance for insects. According to a 2010 study published in "Agriculture Biological Forum," corn and corn-product prices would rise 5.8 percent if biotechnology was not available to farmers.
References
- North Carolina State University; Biotechnology and Its Applications; Kevin Keener, et al.; June 2011
- Shelf Life Advice; How Do Hard Cheese and Soft Cheese Differ?; John Gregerson; June 2009
- United States Department of Agriculture: Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S.: Corn Varieties
- "Agriculture Biological Forum"; The Production and Price Impact of Biotech Corn, Canola and Soybean Crops; Graham Brookes, et al.; 2010
- University of North Carolina; From the Green Revolution to the Biotechnology Revolution: Food for Poor People in the 21st Century; Gordon Conway; March 2003
