Genes and Our Food
Past, present and future
Science is used to improve our
food supply

“And he gave it for his opinion, that whoever
could make two ears of corn, or two blades of
grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only
one grew before, would deserve better of
mankind, and do more essential service to his
country, than the whole race of politicians put
together. “
Jonathan Swift in Gulliver’s Travels
Science is used to improve our
food supply




All food comes from living organisms
Genetics can be used to improve the
plants and animals we eat
Many people are not aware of these
facts
“Ordinary Tomatoes Do Not Contain
Genes, while Genetically Modified Ones
Do”
Biotechnology



Technology based on biology.
This concept was developed to help produce
more food with a higher nutritional value for
consumption in starving countries.
Definition: the application of scientific
knowledge in the management of
microorganisms to supply goods and services
of use to human beings (Wikipedia (1),
2007).
Biotechnology (continued)



Typically known as recombinant DNA
technology.
DNA molecules from different sources are
combined in vitro into one molecule to create
a new gene.
This new gene is then inserted into the
organism of interest, causing the expression
of a modified trait, and thus, creating
genetically modified organisms (GMO).
Biotechnology (continued)

Green Biotechnology: Applications used in
agriculture are:






To improve crop yield.
To reduce crop susceptibility to environmental
stresses.
To reduce crop susceptibility to pathogens.
To increase the crops nutritional value.
To improve taste and texture of the crop.
To reduce dependency of crops on pesticides,
herbicides and fertilizers.
Creation of a GM plant relies
on a natural gene transfer
mechanism
Genetically Modified
Organisms


Any organism that has had genetic material
altered by genetic engineering techniques
(biotechnology). Also know as transgenics.
Transgenic animals (mice and fish),
transgenic microbes (fungi and bacteria), and
transgenic plants (corn, rice, tomato, and
canola).
“Ordinary Tomatoes Do Not Contain Genes, while
Genetically Modified Ones Do”
52
Canada
33
45
United States
45
34
Austria
22
32
France
36
Italy
35
44
29
20
44
44
21
51
Netherlands
27
46
48
Switzerland
40
United Kingdom
0
10
39
Germany
Sweden
15
20
22
24
30
21
31
38
40
22
60
80
Percent Response
1996 - 1998
False (Correct)
Don't Know
True
100
We have genetically modified
food for thousands of years


The earliest farmers and gardeners saved seeds of
the very best plants to start the next growing
season
By doing this, they unknowingly selected plants
with the more desirable genes
Assyrian mural from
870 BC showing palm
pollination
Domestication of corn
9000
Years Ago
Teosinte
Corn
Domestication of lettuce
4,500
Years Ago
Prickly lettuce
Leaf Lettuce
Domestication of carrot
1,100 to 300
Years Ago
Queen Anne’s Lace
• Orange carrots
appeared in Holland
in the 1700s
Wild
cabbage
Brassica oleracea
Ornamental kale
Late 1900’s
Kohlrabi
Germany, 100 AD
Kale, 500 BC
Cauliflower
1400’s
Broccoli
Italy, 1500’s
Cabbage, 100AD
Brussel sprouts
Belgium, 1700’s
Some crops never existed in
nature

Wheat, Triticum aestivum
Triticum urartu
X
Aegilops speltoides
2n=14
Triticum turgidum
2n=28
2n=14
X Aegilops tauschii
2n=14
Triticum aestivum
2n=42
Biotechnology
In
Agriculture
Major uses of biotechnology


Making maps of plant and animal
chromosomes using technology
developed for the Human Genome
Project
Using our knowledge to add new
genetic information to plants and
animals
How is this information
obtained?

Set of techniques that allow us to
"read" genes
Old and New Approaches to
Plant Improvement
Current Crops with Biotech Traits
Commercial Products
 Herbicide Tolerance
(corn, soy, cotton, canola)
Benefits to Growers / Consumers
-
Lower grower cost
Reduced herbicide residues
Enables no-till
Simplicity / flexibility
 Insect/Corn Borer Resistance - Lower grower costs
(corn, cotton, potato)
-
Reduced pesticide usage
Decreased molds
Higher yields
Simplicity
Current Crops with Biotech Traits
Commercial Products
Benefits to Growers / Consumers
Virus Resistance
- Lower cost
- Higher quality foods
- Less acres used
Delayed Ripening
- Higher quality food
- Longer shelf-life
(potato, papaya)
products
Reduced Pesticide Use with Insect-Protected Cotton
Insect Control Ledger for 2000: Bollgard® Cotton on Five Million Acres
Bollgard®
Cotton
Net
Distribution
Manufacturing

Saves 3.46 million
pounds of raw
material

Conserves 1.48
million gallons of
fuel oil

Eliminates 2.16
million pounds of
industrial waste


Transports and
stores 416,000
fewer gallons of
insecticide
Conserves
604,000 gallons
of fuel oil
Application


Applies 1.04 million
fewer pounds of
insecticide in 2.5 fewer
applications per acre
Disposes of 416,000
fewer insecticide
containers

Saves 41,250
10-hour farm
work days

Eliminates 2,150
10-hour days of aerial
application

Dr. Roger Leonard, LSU Agricultural Center
Dr. Ronald Smith, Auburn University
Financial Benefit
Conserves 2.41 million
gallons of fuel and 93.7
million gallons of water

Accrues
$168 million
in economic
benefits from
lower production
costs and
increased
cotton yield
Stewardship

Reduces pesticide
exposure risk

Preserves
beneficial insect
populations

Creates wildlife
benefits

Gives cotton
producers more
time for family
and community
activities

Gives cotton
producers peace
of mind
Consumer
Benefit

Produces fiber
equivalent to that
found in all
consumer
products derived
from cotton
Bollgard® is a registered trademark of Monsanto Company
© 2001 Monsanto Company
Some GM crops have the potential
to mitigate the environmental
impact of agriculture: less
pesticide, less dust, more
biodegradable herbicides
“Roundup” tolerant soybeans can be
Planted with no-till procedures,
which eliminate plowing (dust),
Save water and use a biodegradable
herbicide
Examples of Transgenic Plants

Insecticide sweet corn: known as “Bt
corn”. Modified to express genes that
produce a toxin that kills insects that
feed upon it. Modified with Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bionet, 2002).

Advantage: 1) farmers no longer need to
apply insecticides to the crop, thus saving
money and reducing harm to the
environment.
Examples of Transgenic Plants

Corn (continued)

Disadvantages: 1) may cause resistance in
the insects as they are constantly given
doses of insecticide. 2) may kill beneficial
insects as well as the harmful insects. 3)
considered to be a “franken food”.
Examples of Transgenic Plants

Rice: known as “golden rice” which was
modified to contain large amounts of betacarotene (which the body converts to vitamin
A). The inserted genes were from a
bacterium and two were from daffodils
(Bionet, 2002).

Advantages: 1) advantageous to nutrient deprived
third world countries. 2) helps balance the diet of
countries with limited diets consisting mainly of
rice (Asia).
Examples of Transgenic Plants

Rice (continued):

Disadvantages: 1) makes the third world
countries dependent on the “rich western
world” for the rice, as it cannot be grown
from the sterile plants. 2) again, the
“franken food” fear that we are somehow
playing with the natural order of things.
Examples of Transgenic Plants

Tomatoes: known as the “flavr-savr”
tomato. Came on the market in 1994
and was the first genetically modified
food available to consumers (Bionet,
2002).

Advantages: 1) modified to remain fresher
longer, so can ripen on the vine to produce
a better flavor. 2) can tolerate lengthier
transportation to market, so the tomatoes
do not need to be picked while still green.
Examples of Transgenic Plants

Tomatoes (continued):

Disadvantages: 1) used genes that made
them resistant to antibiotics. Genes for
antibiotic resistance are no longer inserted
into the tomatoes. 2) the “franken food”
fear. People do not understand the
process and advantages and therefore do
not want this tomato on the market.
Examples of Transgenic Plants

Pesticide resistant rape: rape is also
know as “canola”. Was modified to be
resistant to pesticides that are applied
on the field crop.

Advantages: 1) less pesticide sprayed into
the environment. 2) can use a more
environmentally friendly pesticide. 3) more
money for the farmer who can grow a
larger crop.
Examples of Transgenic Plants

Rape (continued):

Disadvantages: 1) the genes used for
modifying the plants can be transferred to
the insects, causing resistance in the
insects. 2) these plants can pollinate
weeds, transferring the herbicide
resistance to the weed creating “super”
weeds
Transgenic Milk

Known as rBST (recombinant bovine
somatotropin) or rBGH (recombinant
bovine growth hormone): increases milk
production in dairy cows by 10 to 30
percent (GMF, 2007).

Advantages: 1) increased milk production
2) reduction in animal feed consumed 3)
aids in water conservation.
Transgenic Milk

Disadvantages: 1) is believed to be
linked to cancer in humans. 2) believed
to cause early development in young
girls. 3) believed to cause aggression in
young boys.
Transgenic Animals

Fish: a variety of Atlantic salmon that
grows to market weight in 18 months
instead of 24 to 30 months. More
economical for fish farmers to raise
transgenic fish that are cheaper to feed
and faster to market than to raise
conventional fish.
Transgenic Microbes


Bacteria: the synthetic version of the human
insulin gene was inserted into E. coli to
produce synthesized insulin.
The sweetener in most diet sodas
(phenylalanine) is made by transgenic
bacteria.

The Tech Museum of Innovation (2004): Understanding Genetics: Making Medicines
http://www.thetech.org/genetics/art06_medicine.php
Biotech Benefits and Risks







Decreasing reliance on pesticides
Insect resistance management
Gene flow and outcrossing
Non-target organisms
Human, wildlife and environmental health
Preserving genetic diversity in plants and animals
Economic
Transgenic Plants

Regulated by three federal agencies:
Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
and the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) (Thompson, 2000).
Potential of crop biotechnology
Specialty
chemicals
Pharmaceuticals
Quality traits
Agronomic traits
1995
2000
2005
2010
Genetically Enhanced Plants
The Next Generation
Situation So Far
Future Trend
Focus on improved farming
Focus on improved processing
"Thinking in crops"
"Thinking in applications"
Crop
Customer
Functionality of
crops
or components
Source: The Boston Consulting Group; modified
Customer
needs
Biotech Foods and Health

Enhanced protein and essential
nutrients prevent disease



Vitamin A to prevent childhood
blindness
Increased calories and nutrients to
prevent malnutrition
Increasing food availability by
reducing spoilage
golden rice
Healthier Foods

Added Nutrients



wheat
rice
Reducing Natural Food Toxins
Fighting Hunger



Improving yields of food staples
Controlling insects
Controlling crop diseases




bananas
cassava
sweet potato virus
Greater salt tolerance
Food Security



Increasing crop productivity
to meet growing global food
needs
Increasing crop productivity
of staple foods rich in protein
and calories
Increasing access to a
healthy, diverse diet
Concerns over GMOs

Cross-pollination is a big concern in the
agricultural arena. Genetically altered
plants can cross-pollinate with “normal”
plants introducing the altered gene into
the plants.

The main area of concern is with herbicide
resistant plants cross-pollinating with
weeds, thus making the weeds herbicide
resistant.
Concerns over GMOs

The creation of “terminator” gene
technology which produces sterile seeds
from the genetically modified plant.
The farmers will have to re-purchase
the non-sterile seed each year. This
can become expensive, especially to the
small farmer or farmers in third world
countries.
Concerns over GMOs

Another concern is the loss of
biodiversity. Since genetically modified
plants do not occur in nature, the
possibility of “genetic pollution” may
occur. When the gene pool from the
wild and native species collapses
because of the introduction of these
modified genes, there will no longer be
diversity in the plants.
Are GMO’s safe?



That would depend on who you ask.
The food must still meet all FDA
requirements on food safety before
they can be released on the market
(FDA, 2000).
There does not seem to be an adverse
effect on people who consume GMOs.
Safety of GMOs


There is the possibility of allergic reactions if a
gene that can produce an allergic reaction (say
from a peanut) were inserted into corn. People
with allergies to peanuts would then become
allergic to the corn. However; the FDA requires
that the label state if an allergy causing gene was
used, unless they can prove the gene does not
make the food cause allergies.
There is the possibility that natural plant toxins
may be enhanced in unsuspecting ways.
What will the future bring?
Foods as Medicine Delivery
System
• Vaccines
• human
• veterinary
Foods as Medicine Delivery
System

Benefits of food as a Drug Delivery
System





reduced expense
low tech – easy to deliver
reduced spoilage - no refrigeration
Vaccines
Enhanced protein and essential
nutrients prevent disease
Other uses of biotech



Over 100 drugs on the market developed with
biotech
Bioremediation
Industrial biotech


Improved enzymes in chemical, textile,
pharmaceutical, metal, and energy industries
Starch and grain processing


Sweeteners
Ethanol
Other uses of biotech




Coffee is decaffeinated
by solvent extraction
Concern about safety
and flavor
Engineer to be
decaffeinated
Also can make uniform
ripening
Other uses of biotech


Nicotine-free tobacco
Low lignin spruce
trees for paper
production
Industrial uses

Cleaning industry


Textile industry



Detergent proteases
Finishing cloth
Better cotton fibers
Paper and pulp industry

Processing with biotech, environmentally
friendly chemicals
NONRENEWABLE
AND
RENEWABLE
RESOURCES
HMMMM....
What do you think
nonrenewable
resources are?
Break it down...
Nonrenewable?
Resource?
NONRENEWABLE
RESOURCES
A nonrenewable resource is a natural
resource that cannot be re-made or
re-grown at a scale comparable to
its consumption.
NUCLEAR ENERGY
Nuclear fission uses
uranium to create
energy.
Nuclear energy is a
nonrenewable
resource because
once the uranium is
used, it is gone!
COAL, PETROLEUM, AND GAS
Coal, petroleum, and
natural gas are
considered
nonrenewable because
they can not be
replenished in a short
period of time. These
are called fossil fuels.
HOW IS COAL MADE ???
HOW ARE OIL AND GAS MADE
???
WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN COAL AND OIL/GAS?
HMMMM....
If nonrenewable
resources are resources
that cannot be remade at a scale
comparable to its
consumption, what are
renewable resources?
RENEWABLE RESOURCES
Renewable resources are
natural resources that can
be replenished in a short
period of time.
● Solar ● Geothermal
● Wind ● Biomass
● Water
SOLAR
Energy from the
sun.
Why is energy
from the sun
renewable?
GEOTHERMAL
Energy from
Earth’s heat.
Why is energy
from the heat of
the Earth
renewable?
WIND
Energy from
the wind.
Why is energy
from the wind
renewable?
BIOMASS
Energy from
burning organic
or living matter.
Why is energy
from biomass
renewable?
WATER or HYDROELECTRIC
Energy from the
flow of water.
Why is energy of
flowing water
renewable?
Our Natural
Resources, Then
and Now
What is a natural
resource?
Any form of energy which can
be used by humans.
 Those things that people come
in contact with that may be used
to perform any useful function.
 Objects, materials, creatures, or
energy found in nature that can
be put to use by humans.

Usefulness
Changes

A. Things that affect our
definition of usefulness.
1. Religion- Hindu- cattle
 2. Custom- Dogs as food
source.
 3. Technology and Science

Soil Resources

A. Land area
1. U.S. 3,675,545 square
miles or 2.26 billion acres
 2. Surface ranges from 282
feet below sea level in Death
Valley to 20,320 feet above
sea level on Mt. McKinley

Soil Resources
3. Topsoil- uppermost layer of soil from
which we get almost all of our food and
natural fibers.
 4. Today, almost 1/3 of our land area is
not suited for farming; 8% covered by
cities, factories, homes and highways;
60% is suited for food and fiber
production of that only 17% can be
used to grow crops.

Soil Resources

B. Erosion
1. Since colonial times we
have lost 1/3 of our topsoil
to erosion.
 2. Only 1/4 of our cropland
is undamaged by erosion.

Soil Resources

B. Erosion
1. Since colonial times we
have lost 1/3 of our topsoil
to erosion.
 2. Only 1/4 of our cropland
is undamaged by erosion.

Soil
Resources
 C. Urban expansion
1. Land is converted to business or
home usage.
 2. Compaction results from concrete
or other paving materials.
 3. We must establish priorities for
land use to balance food an d fiber
production and industrial uses of
our land.

Water Resources

A. Useable Water
1. Earth is 70% water, how
much is useable?
 2. As a power source water
was used to carry logs, float
boats, turn water wheels

Water Resources

3. Everyday we use 300 billion
gallons of water
 a. 60 billion depleted
 b. 240 billion return to the
hydrologic cycle
 c. Much is damaged by heat
and pollutants
Water Resources

B. Controlling excess runoff
 1. 37 states have average annual
runoff of more than 10 inches
 2. Much of the rain that falls,
runs directly into the sea
Water Resources

C. Major water problems
1. Control
 2. Quality
 3. Distribution

Fish and Wildlife
Resources

A. Non-domesticated
animals, either game or
nongame.

1. Considered renewal only true while the species
is alive and reproducing.
Fish and Wildlife
Resources
A. Since colonial times,
48 vertebrate species
have become extinct in
our nation.
 B. 130 regarded rare and
endangered by 1970

Fish and Wildlife
Resources

2. Assets
 A. pleasure derived from wildlife
 B. meat
 C. insect destroying ability, valued at
over one billion dollars per year.
 D. hunting and fishing brings in more
than one billion dollars each year.
Fish and Wildlife
Resources

3. Wildlife conservation programs
 A. programs directed especially for
hunters and fishermen.
 B. satisfying the demands of the
non-hunting and non-fishing public
through the use of parks and game
preserves.
Forest Resources

A. Acres of forest land


1. In 1607 half our land was
forested, over 1 billion acres.
Almost 70% is still forest

1/3 of today’s forest land is
noncommercial
Forest Resources

B. Production
1. Since colonial times U.S.
forests have produced about
2,700 billion board feet of
timber.
 2. Each year our forests grow
more wood than we harvest.

Forest Resources

C. Mature Forests

1. Canopy is dominated by
mature, slow-growing trees

a. produces very little wood
Other
Resources
 A. Energy Sources
1. Most energy comes directly
or indirectly from the sun
 2. Wind- used to move our
goods and pull water form
the earth.

A. Windmills
 Sailing Ships

Other Resources

3.Coal
 A. Most widely distributed
storehouse of the sun’s
energy.
 B. First discovered in America
in 1673 in Illinois.
Coal
C. 35 billion tons have been
produced in the US since
mining began.
 D. Estimate reserves of 2.5
trillion ton of US coal, but is a
one time resource.

Other Resources

4. Oil
 A. In late 1950’s projected
that oil reserves would last 14
years.
 B. Today we use more oil but
have greater store of known
oil- is a one time resource.
Oil

5. Natural Gas
 A. Clean, efficient
 B. Proven reserves 260 trillion
cubic feet.
Other Resources

B. Minerals
 1. Most widely used are the
metals
 a. Fe, Cu, Al, Mg, Pb, Zn,
Sn, (Iron, Copper,
Aluminum, Magnesium,
Lead, and Tin)
Other Resources

C. Recreational Resources
 1. Forests, lakes, beaches,
mountains, parks, game
animals and fish