BIO4211

Biology 1
ECONOMIC BOTANY
SEMINAR 2

THE ROLE
OF GENETICALLY
MODIFIED FOODS
Group Members:
Darshanie Jadubir
Rhema Jacob

LECTURER: MISS FERIAL PESTANO-GUPTA

LAB INSTRUCTOR: MISS SUSHMITA SINGH
 BIO4211-ECONOMIC BOTANY

Core Concepts
Genetically Modified Foods and Their Roles
Disease Resistance
Greater Quantity of Food
Better Quality of Food
Advantages & Disadvantages
Can GMOs solve World Hunger
Introduction

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For thousands of years, traditional methods of modification were
used

Genetic engineering, developed in the 1970s, enabled similar

specific changes to be made in a much shorter time.

Genetically modified (GM) organisms are the product of genetic

engineering

(FDA, 2022)
Genetically Modified Foods

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The world must produce 50% to 100% more food

Genetically modified (GM) crops can help us to meet the demand for

high-yielding,
nutritionally-balanced,
biotic and abiotic stress-tolerant crop varieties.

(Datta, 2013)
Disease Resistance

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Genetically modified food crops that are resistant to
insects/pests and diseases.

The Genetically modified papaya, called “Rainbow papaya,

is an example of a virus-resistant GM (FDA, 2022).

Reduces the use of fuel and consequently reduced

greenhouse gas emissions (Genetically Modified
Organisms, n.d.)

Reducing pesticide use can improve the health of farmers,

in addition to lowering input costs (Bouis et al, 2003).
Greater Quantity of Food

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Produces a greater quantity of food (FDA, 2022).

Requires much less input

A very promising “C4 rice” that utilizes the more efficient C4

pathway instead of the C3 pathway (Norero, 2018).
Better Quality of Food

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Poor consumers typically spend 70% of their incomes on
food and diets consist primarily of staple foods, which lack the vitamins,
and minerals (Bouis et al, 2003).

Genetically modified foods can be modified to have better quality such as

longer shelf life,

resistance to browning and bruising

(MedlinePlus, 2022).
ADVANTAGES More nutritious food

DISADVANTAGES
Creation of foods that can
Tastier food cause an allergic or toxic
Less use of pesticides & reaction
insecticides Unexpected or harmful
Reduced greenhouse gas genetic changes
emissions Inadvertent transfer of genes
Increased supply of food with from one GM plant or animal
reduced cost and longer shelf to another plant or animal not
life intended for genetic
Faster growing plants and modification
animals
Increased income and
profitability for farmers,
Increased productivity

(MedlinePlus, 2022) (FDA, 2022).

 Hunger results from inequity, not food
shortage.

GM crops may have a role to play in

combatting global hunger,

WORLD increasing crop production or nutritional

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HUNGER
value (via any method) will not solve the
larger problem of inequity in access to
food.
CAN GMOS SOLVE IT?
 REFERENCES
BIO4211- ECONOMIC BOTANY

Bouis, H. E., Chassy, B. M., & Ochanda, J. O. (2003). Genetically modified food crops and their
contribution to human nutrition and food quality. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 14, 191-
209. doi:10.1016/S0924-2244(03)00073-6

Datta, A. (2013). Genetic engineering for improving quality and productivity of crops. Agric & Food
Security, 2, 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/2048-7010-2-15

FDA. (2022). How GMO Crops Impact Our World. https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-

biotechnology/how-gmo-crops-impact-our-world

FDA. (2022). Science and History of GMOs and Other Food Modification Processes.
https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/science-and-history-gmos-and-other-food-
modification-processes

MedlinePlus. (2022). Genetically engineered foods. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002432.htm

Norero, D. (2018). GMO crops have been increasing yield for 20 years, with more progress ahead.
https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2018/02/gmo-crops-increasing-yield-20-years-progress-
ahead/