Angela Hendrickson Culler

Head of Regulatory Affairs Seed & Traits, Bayer Crop Science

Company Expert Monsanto Bayer

Expert Bio

I received my Ph.D. in Plant Biological Sciences from the University of Minnesota and joined Monsanto as a plant biochemist in 2008. I am currently the Head of Regulatory Affairs Seed & Traits at Bayer. This team focuses on understanding how the composition (including vitamins and minerals) of crops is affected through different factors such as environment and genetics. The major responsibility of my job is to ensure that our new products are safe to consume. My husband and I both come from farming families, and have a family farm in Southern Indiana.

Studies, Articles and Answers

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Question

Q: Are GM foods created to be glyphosate tolerant lower in aromatic amino acids, auxin, phytoalexins, folic acid, lignin, plastoquinones, etc than their organic counterparts?

Answered By Angela Hendrickson Culler - Nov 01, 2013

A: Thank you for your question, and I have to admit, I am a little excited that someone is asking about auxin! As a graduate student, I studied how auxin (a plant growth regulator, also called a phytohormone) is made in sweet corn, so I am happy that the knowledge I gained might be of some help here. As you seem well aware, there is an enzyme in plants and bacteria (called EPSPS) that catalyzes a reaction necessary for the synthesis of some amino acids, specifically the amino acids that have a chemical structure known as an “aromatic ring.” These “aromatic amino acids” are precu [...]

GMO Basics Health & Safety

Question

Q: What do you have to say to the studies about the evidence that GMO foods are nutrient deficient in a variety of micronutrients? Also, that in glyphosate tolerant varieties seeds contain a higher than accepted level of glysphosate post harvest. In one stu

Answered By Angela Hendrickson Culler - Oct 25, 2013

A: Seth,I think the nutritional quality of GM foods, and how it compares to non GM foods, is something that a lot of people are interested in knowing about and the answer is simple. The conclusion from numerous studies is that crops derived from GMOs, except for those with intentional nutritional changes, are nutritionally equivalent to conventional crops (Lundry et al., 2013; Harrigan et al., 2010). Your question is about a specific corn study, and with the numbers that you cite, it is natural that people would be alarmed if the findings were accurate. I was able to sear [...]

GMO Basics Health & Safety

Question

Q: Can you provide a comparative chemical analysis of:An organic product, A Standard product, and the GMO counterpart.A good example would be the to show a full analysis of common sweet corn. How does Organically grown corn differ in content from corn grown

Answered By Angela Hendrickson Culler - Oct 28, 2013

A: The nutrient content, or chemical profile, of the food we eat is very important to maintaining our health and well-being. Your question does a good job recognizing that the way our food is grown can impact its nutrient content, but to understand how this happens we need to look in more detail than conventional vs. GM vs. organic. Let me explain what years of research shows. Many studies conclude that factors such as farming practices (row spacing, seeding rate, fertilization, irrigation) or location (country, state, county, field, or even location in a field!) can have an imp [...]

GMO Basics Health & Safety