what is it?
Huge investments are currently being made in research and development of gene technology. Genetic modification is a process that alters the genetic material of a plant or animal by duplicating, removing or inserting one or more new genes to improve its characteristics, through:
- mutation and selection
- traditional breeding techniques
- natural gene transfer by sexual crossing
- recombinant DNA techniques (which involves adding genes from one organism to the genetic complement of another organism)
GM production in the food industry
Gene technology in has been successfully applied in the production of medical treatments, and is readily accepted in this context. However, the public is seriously alarmed when gene technology is linked to foods. There is strong debate concerning the ethics and safety of genetically modified foods.
Below are some techniques of genetic modification of plants and animals:
Below are some techniques of genetic modification of plants and animals:
examples of gm crops
In the mid 1990s the first genetically modified crops were approved in the US, and today, their farmers are by far the largest producers of such crops.
Four genetically modified field crops are grown on a large scale:
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Below is a table of genetically modified foods which can be divided into three levels of development:
Genetically modified foods are created to have beneficial characteristics such as: