ARTICLE: Genetically Modified Produce: Misunderstood Wonders

The following is an excerpt of an article at the Australian science website Particle that discusses the promising research into new genetically modified crops and produce. 

Thanks to GM crops, farmers have been able to upscale production of vital crops to feed our growing world. It is estimated that GM crops have increased the income of farmers by more than US$167 million since 1996.

GM crops are found pretty much everywhere, with more than 185 million hectares cultivated worldwide.

But in some countries, GM produce also has a long history of controversy, with health and environmental advocates arguing against their use, despite the science backing up their safety.

As a consequence, in countries like Australia, GM produce still has a long way to go before reaching our tables.

Super Bananas and Red-Fleshed Apples

Worldwide, around 250 million preschool children suffer from vitamin A deficiency because they don’t get enough of this vitamin in their diet. As a result, around half a million of these children develop blindness, and up to 250,000 will die within the first 12 months of losing sight.

But what if you could load a popular fruit with the needed vitamin? Recently, scientists from Queensland University of Technology tweaked the DNA of the humble banana to create a super banana. Unlike the regular banana, this GM banana is rich in provitamin A (a precursor of vitamin A in our bodies) and iron.

“What we’ve done is take a gene from a banana that originated in Papua New Guinea and is naturally very high in provitamin A but has small bunches and inserted it into a Cavendish banana,” says Professor James Dale, who led the development of this banana, in a recent press release.

Red-fleshed apples, loaded with anthocyanins, nature’s famous antioxidants, are another good example of a super GM fruit. The apples were first developed by Andrew Allan and Richard Espley at Plant & Food Research in New Zealand, and they are quite unique.

To read the entire article, please visit the Particle website.