Do BT eggplants contain toxins that cause cancer and skin diseases?

Expert response from Amit Dhingra

Associate Professor of Genomics and Biotechnology at the Department of Horticulture, Washington State University

Tuesday, 16/12/2014 00:43

Bt is a protein present in a commonly occurring soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis. For it to be active against any other living organism, it needs two things. First, the target organism should have a complementary protein (usually called a receptor) that can bind Bt, and second, it should have a pH that is alkaline.

 

The human gut and skin lack receptors that can recognize and interact with Bt. Moreover, the human gut is acidic, thanks to all the hydrochloric acid that our stomachs produce naturally. Therefore, Bt gets the same treatment all other proteins get once it enters our digestive system: it is digested.

 

Now that the Bt protein has been addressed, let us consider what Bt eggplant is. Bt eggplant — or brinjal, as it is called in the Asian subcontinent — was developed by a public-private consortium to combat brinjal fruit and shoot borer (FSB, Leucinodes orbonalis). Scientists at publicly supported institutions performed extensive biosafety investigations, nutritional studies, equivalence studies and relative toxicity and allergenicity tests employing several animal models, including Sprague Dawley rats, Brown Norway rats, rabbit, fish, chicken and goats. All the data established that there was no difference between genetically engineered eggplant and the variety developed using plant breeding. This extensive testing was done to ensure no stone is left unturned in proving the safety of Bt eggplant, despite the fact that Bt is known to be completely safe for human and animal consumption.

 

While the farmers in Bangladesh and India will benefit from growing Bt eggplant, the largest benefit of producing Bt eggplant accrue to consumers, as they will get to consume an insecticide-free product that benefits the environment.