Developers of genetically modified crops forge on


8/15/02 7:14:18 PM (GMT +2)

ISTANBUL - Researchers and seed companies are hard at work developing new genetically modified (GM) crops despite the storm of opposition they face from consumers, especially in Europe, scientists told a conference this week.
The new varieties range from a new soybean that yields healthier vegetable oil to a strain of coffee bean that grows without caffeine.

"The next generation will improve the nutritional quality of the foods," Richard Wilson, a researcher with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) told an edible oils conference in Istanbul.

Field tests have already been conducted on a wide range of new GM varieties, including rice, strawberries and melons, said Richard Phipps, a research fellow at the Britain's University of Reading.

In the United States, GM crops are widespread with 54 million acres of soybeans, 25 million acres of corn and 11 million acres of cotton planted this year, Wilson said.

The launch of GM crops sparked protests by environmental groups such as Greenpeace and many consumers remain suspicious of them, worried about their health or damage to the earth's ecology. Many food companies in Europe have pledged to use non-GM ingredients in their products.

Wilson said the new varieties should appeal more to consumers since most will improve health instead of just help farmers to increase yields or save money as current GM crops do.

Healthier veg oil

Many of the new GM crops under development employ more sophisticated techniques than the transgenic method used in the first varieties that spliced in genes resistant to herbicides or insects, Wilson said.

Now, the technique of "proteomics" uses markers found through the mapping of the genome to speed up conventional plant breeding, said Wilson, who heads the Oilseeds and Biosciences unit at the USDA's Agricultural Research Service.

A new commercial variety of soybean should be on the market in the next few years that yields healthier oil when crushed, he said.

Scientists are increasing the amount of healthy oleic acid, similar to that found in olive oil, and reducing saturates, high consumption of which can contribute to circulatory and heart problems.

The new soyoil will need very little hydrogenation to harden it for use in margarine and thus cut down on trans-isomers, recently identified as unhealthy, Wilson added.

Trans-isomers are unsaturated but due to their cell structure the human body treats them as saturated.

Genetic researchers have also figured out how to maximise the amount of high-protein meal from crushed soybeans, while keeping high levels of oil at the same time, Wilson said.

Previously, if the amount of protein in the meal was boosted from 44 percent to 45 percent then the proportion of oil would fall to 14 percent-16 percent from the normal 18 percent-19 percent, Wilson said. Soymeal is mainly used for animal feed.

Better for environment

Phipps strongly disputed arguments against GM crops by groups such as Greenpeace, saying current GM crops are actually better for the environment than conventional ones since they reduce use of chemicals and fuel on farms.

Phipps, at Reading University's Centre for Dairy Research, also said there is no evidence that foods derived from animals fed GM products are not at least as safe as those produced from conventional feed ingredients.

Since most GM crops currently being grown include modified genes for herbicide tolerance or insect resistance, the use of GM crops is estimated to have cut pesticide use by 22 million to 23 million kg in 2000, he said.

GM crops have also reduced the need for field operations with tractors, cutting use of fuel and carbon dioxide emissions.

- Reuter