Genetically modified foods: a presumption of guilt? general characteristics

Recently, Greenpeace published the results laboratory research, indicating that many Russian food products are among the most genetically "contaminated" in Europe.

In November, a selection of 27 types of products - baby food and meat products - was carried out in various Moscow retail outlets. None of the selected products had information on the content of proteins genetically modified organisms(GMO), or that these products have been produced using genetically modified sources (GMOs).

The samples were transferred to the St. Petersburg Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Products in which DNA of genetically modified organisms was found were sent for control testing and quantitative studies to the German laboratory AgroFood Diagnostics Science Production Basic Technology.

The results of the study surprised experts: about a third of the analyzed products contained genetically modified proteins; in 4 sausages, the share of genetically modified soybeans reaches 70-80% of the total soybean content.

This group included Popular (CampoMos) pate, Slavyanskie sausages (manufacturer unknown) and Tushinskie (Tushino meat processing plant), as well as Polish sausages.

Research on baby cereals in which milk protein replaced by soy indicate that some of them - Humana, Bebelac, Frisosoy - also contain GMI.

Having received the results of the research, Greenpeace turned to the management of some Moscow meat-packing plants for clarification. However, employees of these enterprises denied the information about the use of GMI in the preparation meat products, refusing to provide the recipe for the preparation of meat products, and referring to the "commercial secret". According to Greenpeace experts, this indicates either a low level of awareness of producers who are not aware of the quality of soy products used; or about deliberate attempts to hide the facts of the use of GMI in their products.

According to the Institute of Nutrition, in 1998, the use of GMI in food production was isolated. However, at present, Russian market there is a real expansion of genetically modified products. It is explained, first of all, by the fact that transnational corporations have lost sales markets in European countries and Canada over the years. Thus, according to the State Customs Committee of the Russian Federation, over the past three years, the import of "American" transgenic soybeans has increased by 100%.

According to Russian legislation, products containing at least 5% GMI components must be labeled accordingly. But, according to Greenpeace, many manufacturers do not respect the law. One of the main reasons for this is the absence in Russia of a system of control over the use of GMI in food products. There are no laboratories in the country capable of carrying out quantitative assessments of the GMI content in food products; there are no approved methods, there are no funds for continuous monitoring.

According to Greenpeace (Russia), despite the fact that back in 1992 Russia subscribed to the “precautionary principle”, it nevertheless continues to risk the health of its citizens. “The Russian consumer must be fully informed about the composition of the food product in order to be able to choose,” the Russian “greens” believe. “Products made with any amount of GMI must be labelled.”

According to the Institute of Nutrition and the Research Institute of the Meat Industry, currently in Russia there are no GOST methods for the quantitative determination of GMI in finished products nutrition. Authorized SES laboratories can only conduct a qualitative analysis of food.

Greenpeace analysts argue that as a result of the consumption of genetically modified foods, a person may develop allergies and resistance to antibiotics of microflora bacteria. Pesticides accumulated by GM plants can enter the body. However, since long-term studies of the safety of such products have not been conducted, it cannot yet be definitely stated whether they are genetically harmful or harmless to humans. modified products. Recall that Russia is now allowed to import products containing genetically modified soybeans, two varieties of potatoes and corn.

By the way, in 2000 Greenpeace USA published a list of companies using GM ingredients. It includes chocolate products from Hershey's, Cadbury (Fruit & Nut), Mars (M&M, Snickers, Twix, Milky Way), soft drinks from Coca-Cola (Coca-Cola, Sprite), PepsiCo (Pepsi, 7-Up), Nestle chocolate drink Nesquik, Uncle Bens rice (manufactured by Mars), Kellogg's breakfast cereals, Campbell soups, Knorr sauces, Lipton tea, Parmalat biscuits, Hellman's salad dressings, children food from Nestle and Abbot Labs (Similac).

Source: According to Greenpeace (Russia)

Product name, Probable manufacturer, Presence of GMI, % of GMI content from total vegetable proteins

01 Baby porridge Bebelak soy "Istra-Nutritsia" - There are 0.2
02 Sausages Knaki - There is<0,1
03 Pate "Popular" CampoMos - There are 73
04 Sausages Amateur Tulip, Denmark - There is<0,1
05 Baby porridge Humana, Germany - Yes 0,1
06 Baby porridge Frisosa Friesland Nurition, Holland - There is<0,1
07 Sausages Slavic Tsaritsyno - There are 80
08 Sausages Tushinsky Tushino Meat Processing Plant - There are 75
09 Polish sausages Tushino Meat Processing Plant - There are 75

In June 2000, the first evidence appeared that food from GM products can cause mutations in living organisms. The German zoologist Hans Heinrich Kaatz experimentally proved that the altered gene of the Shrovetide turnip penetrates the bacteria living in the stomach of the bee, and they begin to mutate. “Bacteria in the human body can also change under the influence of products containing foreign genes,” the scientist believes. - It is difficult to say what it will lead to. Maybe mutations.

GM - potatoes, bred by the American company Monsanto, are really harmful only to the Colorado potato beetle, which, having eaten its leaves, instantly dies. But the Scottish scientist from Aberdeen A. Pushtai, after careful research, discovered changes in the internal organs of rats that ate Monsant potatoes. The coordinator of the Russian Greenpeace program, Ivan Blokov, is also alarmed:

“It has already been proven that if you eat such potatoes for several months, the stomach will begin to produce enzymes that neutralize the therapeutic effect of antibiotics of the kanamycin group.”

Five reasons against
1.Inevitable risk when using high technology. 10 years is not a term for genetic experiments. To assess the long-term results, several generations must change, only in this case it is possible to draw a conclusion about the safety or harmfulness of transgenic products.
2. The costs of interspecies experiments, a children's riddle: what happens if you cross a bun with a blackberry? The answer is a coil of barbed wire. Scientists easily exchange genetic traits between representatives of different ecosystems. They inserted the Arctic flounder gene into the DNA of a tomato to increase its winter hardiness. The benefits are obvious, but the long-term result is not predictable. It is one thing to cross a turnip with a pineapple, another - a sprat with a tomato ... Animal genes transplanted into plants can easily be integrated into the hereditary apparatus of a person who has eaten a transgenic product, taking a couple of viruses as a gift. The result is epidemics of previously unknown infections and the emergence of mutants.
3. Exacerbation of allergies. Let's say you can't stand fish and never eat it. But lettuce or tomato paste made from GM tomatoes with a built-in flounder gene is unlikely to arouse your suspicions, and in fact they can provoke an attack of (severe) allergies. Even if it doesn't change much on the Gm packaging: it doesn't say that tomatoes have fish allergens!
4. Turning ordinary crops into transgenic ones. Under GM crops on Earth, 58 million hectares have been allocated. Potatoes, corn, soybeans, rapeseed, rice, etc. other cereals, cotton, cucumbers, melons peppers gourds. Thanks to cross-pollination, genes inserted by scientists penetrate into the hereditary apparatus of other plants that have not passed the laboratory. Pollen from transgenic potatoes that bloomed at the neighbors was brought to your summer cottage, and the entire crop became transgenic, you won’t even know about it. A few years ago in Mexico, the country that is the largest transporter of transgenic seeds, there was a spontaneous cross-pollination of improved varieties of corn and ordinary corn, And the whole process is not reversible! You can't pull the gene back out; it's forever stuck in the hereditary apparatus. On a global scale, the expansion of the transgenome will soon lead to the displacement of conventional plants. Everything will be done naturally, because the pollen that the wind carries over the state border will not ask for a safety certificate! Transgenic plants are grown on an industrial scale in 16 countries of the world - the USA, Argentina, Canada, China, Australia, Mexico, France, South Africa, India, Colombia, Honduras, Portugal, Romania and others. Recently, Europe has been actively involved in the process. Well, modified potatoes (with a high content of starch, low - water, requiring a minimum of oil for frying and repelling the Colorado potato beetle) have long taken root in the gardens of Russian summer residents ...
5. Disappearance of insects and birds. To breed potatoes that the Colorado potato beetle doesn't eat, scientists have built into them a gene that programs the production of betatoxin. This poison does not seem to affect a person, but how much more so for insects! Microorganisms of 300 species coexist peacefully with potatoes, without causing the slightest damage to it, and betatoxin kills everyone indiscriminately. A dozen crops improved by geneticists are enough for most of the insects on our planet to die. And after them birds will disappear, gopher mice and other animals will die. Experts warn: transgenic foods emit a thousand times more toxins than conventional ones.

Genetically modified food sources(GMI food) are food products (components) used by humans in food in natural or processed form, obtained from genetically modified raw materials and / or organisms. They belong to the group of the most significant new food products produced using modern biotechnological techniques.

Traditional biotechnological methods of food production have been known for a very long time. These include bakery, cheese making, winemaking, brewing. Modern biotechnology is based on genetic engineering techniques that make it possible to obtain end products with very precise specified properties, while conventional selection associated with linked gene transfer does not allow such results to be achieved.

The technology for creating GMI plants includes several stages:

Obtaining target genes responsible for the manifestation of a given trait;

Creation of a vector containing the target gene and factors of its functioning;

Transformation of plant cells;

Regeneration of a whole plant from a transformed cell.

Target genes, for example, providing resistance, are selected among various objects of the biosphere (in particular, bacteria) by targeted search using gene libraries.

The creation of a vector is the process of constructing a carrier of the target gene, which is usually carried out on the basis of plasmids, which provide further optimal insertion into the plant genome. In addition to the target gene, a transcription promoter and terminator and marker genes are also introduced into the vector. A transcription promoter and terminator are used to achieve the desired level of expression of the target gene. The cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter is currently most commonly used as a transcription initiator, and NOS from Agrobacterium tumefaciens is used as a terminator.

For the transformation of plant cells - the process of transferring the constructed vector, two main technologies are used: agrobacterial and ballistic. The first is based on the natural ability of bacteria of the Agrobacterium family to exchange genetic material with plants. Ballistic technology is associated with microbombardment of plant cells with metal (gold, tungsten) particles associated with DNA (target gene), during which the genetic material is mechanically incorporated into the plant cell genome. Confirmation of insertion of the target gene is carried out using marker genes represented by antibiotic resistance genes. Modern technologies provide for the elimination of marker genes at the stage of obtaining GMI of a plant from a transformed cell.

Giving plants resistance to herbicides is carried out by introducing genes that express enzyme proteins (analogues of which are pesticide targets) that are not sensitive to this class of herbicides, for example, to glyphosate (roundup), chlorsulfuron and imidazoline herbicides, or that provide accelerated degradation of pesticides in plants, for example, glufosinate ammonium, dalapon.

Resistance to insects, in particular to the Colorado potato beetle, is determined by the insecticidal action of expressed entomotoxin proteins that specifically bind to receptors in the intestinal epithelium, which leads to disruption of local osmotic balance, swelling and lysis of cells, and death of the insect. The target resistance gene for the Colorado potato beetle was isolated from the soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This entomotoxin is harmless to warm-blooded animals and humans, other insects. Preparations based on it have been widely used in developed countries as insecticides for more than half a century.

With the help of genetic engineering technology, enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, food proteins are already being obtained, new varieties of plants and animal breeds, and technological strains of microorganisms are being created. Genetically modified food sources of plant origin are currently the main GMI actively produced in the world. In the eight years from 1996 to 2003, the total area sown with GMI crops increased 40 times (from 1.7 million hectares in 1996 to 67.7 million hectares in 2003). The first genetically modified food product that went on the market in 1994 in the United States was the tomato, which is shelf stable by slowing down the degradation of pectin. Since that time, a large number of so-called first-generation GMO foods have been developed and grown - providing high yields due to resistance to pests and pesticides. The next generations of GMI will be created in order to improve the taste properties, nutritional value of products (high content of vitamins and microelements, optimal fatty acid and amino acid compositions, etc.), increase resistance to climatic factors, extend shelf life, increase the efficiency of photosynthesis and nitrogen utilization.

Currently, the vast majority (99%) of all GMO crops are grown in six countries: USA (63%), Argentina (21%), Canada (6%), Brazil (4%), China (4 %) and South Africa (1%). The remaining 1% is produced in other countries of Europe (Spain, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria), Southeast Asia (India, Indonesia, Philippines), South America (Uruguay, Colombia, Honduras), Australia, Mexico.

In agricultural production, the most widely used GMI crops are resistant to herbicides - 73% of the total area of ​​cultivation, resistant to insect pests - 18%, having both traits - 8%. Among the main GMI plants, the leading positions are occupied by: soybeans - 61%, corn - 23% and rapeseed - 5%. The GMI of potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini and other crops accounts for less than 1%. In addition to increased yields, an important medicinal advantage of GMO plants is their lower content of insecticide residues and less accumulation of mycotoxins (as a result of reduced insect infestation).

However, there are potential dangers (medical and biological risks) of using GMI food associated with possible pleiotropic (multiple unpredictable) effects of the inserted gene; allergic effects of an atypical protein; toxic effects of an atypical protein; long-term consequences.

In the Russian Federation, a legislative and regulatory framework has been created and is functioning that regulates the production, import from abroad and circulation of food products obtained from GMI. The main tasks in this area are: ensuring the safety of food products produced from

genetically modified materials; protection of the ecological system from the penetration of alien biological organisms; prediction of genetic aspects of biological safety; creation of a system of state control over the circulation of genetically modified materials. The procedure for conducting a sanitary and epidemiological examination of food products obtained from GMI for their state registration includes biomedical, medical genetic and technological assessments. The examination is carried out by the authorized federal body with the involvement of leading scientific institutions in the relevant field.

Medical and biological assessment of food products obtained from GMI is carried out at the Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (and other leading medical research institutes) and includes studies of:

1) compositional equivalence (chemical composition, organoleptic properties) of GMI products to their species counterparts;

2) morphological, hematological and biochemical parameters;

3) allergenic properties;

4) influence on the immune status;

5) influence on reproductive function;

6) neurotoxicity;

7) genotoxicity;

8) mutagenicity;

9) carcinogenicity;

10) sensitive biomarkers (activity of enzymes of the 1st and 2nd phases of xenobiotic metabolism, activity of enzymes of the antioxidant defense system and lipid peroxidation processes).

Technological assessment is aimed at studying the physico-chemical parameters that are essential in food production, for example, the possibility of using traditional methods of processing food raw materials, obtaining familiar food forms and achieving normal consumer characteristics. So, for example, for GMI potatoes, the possibility of preparing potato chips, mashed potatoes, semi-finished products, etc. is evaluated.

Special attention is drawn to the issues of environmental safety of GMI. From these positions, the possibility of horizontal transfer of the target gene is assessed: from GMI culture to a similar natural form or weed plant, plasmid transfer in the intestinal microbiocenosis. From an ecological point of view, the introduction of GMI into natural biosystems should not lead to a decrease in species diversity, the emergence of new pesticide-resistant plant and insect species, and the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of microorganisms with pathogenic potential. In accordance with internationally recognized approaches for the evaluation of new food sources (WHO, EU directives), food products derived from GMOs that are identical in terms of nutritional value and safety to their traditional counterparts are considered safe and allowed for commercial use.

At the beginning of 2005, 13 types of food raw materials from GMI, which are resistant to pesticides or pests, were registered in the Russian Federation in the Russian Federation and authorized by the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia for import into the country, use in the food industry and sale to the population without restrictions. : three lines of soybeans, six lines of corn, two varieties of potatoes, one line of sugar beet and one line of rice. All of them are used both directly for food and in the production of hundreds of food products: bread and bakery products, flour confectionery products, sausages, semi-finished meat products, culinary products, canned meat and vegetable and fish vegetables, baby food, food concentrates, soups and fast cereals. cooking, chocolate and other sweet confectionery, chewing gum.

In addition, there is a wide range of food raw materials that have genetically modified analogues that are allowed for sale on the world food market, but are not declared for registration in the Russian Federation, which can potentially enter the domestic market and are subject to control for the presence of GMI. To this end, the Russian Federation has established the procedure and organization of control over food products obtained using raw materials of plant origin that have genetically modified analogues. Control is carried out in the order of current supervision when putting products into production, their production and turnover.

State sanitary and epidemiological supervision of food products obtained from raw materials of plant origin, which have genetically modified analogues, is carried out by territorial bodies and institutions authorized to carry it out, in the order of the current examination: documents and product samples. Based on the results of the examination of food products, a sanitary and epidemiological conclusion of the established form is issued. Upon detection of a GMI food registered in the federal register, a positive conclusion is issued. If an unregistered GMI is found, a negative conclusion is issued, on the basis of which these products are not subject to import, production and circulation on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Standardized laboratory tests used as identification for the presence of GMI include:

Screening studies (determining the presence of the fact of genetic modification - genes of promoters, terminators, markers) - by PCR;

Identification of the transformational event (presence of the target gene) - by PCR and using a biological microchip;

Quantitative analysis of recombinant DNA and expressed protein - by PCR (real time) and quantitative enzyme immunoassay.

In order to exercise the rights of consumers to receive complete and reliable information about the technology for the production of food products derived from GMI, mandatory labeling of this type of product has been introduced: on labels (labels) or leaflets of packaged food products (including those not containing deoxyribonucleic acid and protein ), information in Russian is required: “genetically modified products” or “products obtained from genetically modified sources”, or “products contain components from genetically modified sources” (for food products containing more than 0.9% GMI components).

The system for assessing the safety of food products from GMI, adopted in the Russian Federation, involves post-registration monitoring of the turnover of these products. GMI foods such as barley, sunflower, peanuts, Jerusalem artichoke, sweet potato, cassava, eggplant, cabbage (various head varieties, cauliflower, broccoli), carrots, turnips, beets, cucumbers, lettuce, chicory, onions, leeks, garlic, peas, sweet peppers, olives (olives), apples, pears, quince, cherries, apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines, sloes, lemons, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, limes, persimmons, grapes, kiwi, pineapple, dates, figs, avocado, mango, tea, coffee.

In the production of food products that have genetically modified analogues, control of GMI should be included in production control programs. In addition to GMI plants are being developed for use in food production for technological purposes GMM, which are widely used in the starch and baking industry, the production of cheese, alcoholic beverages (beer, ethyl alcohol) and dietary supplements for food. In these food industries, GMMs are used as starter cultures, bacterial concentrates, starter cultures for fermented products and fermentation products, enzyme preparations, food additives (preservative E234 - nisin), vitamin preparations (riboflavin, β-carotene).

In the Russian Federation, sanitary-epidemiological, microbiological and molecular genetic examinations of food products obtained using GMMs are carried out in a manner similar to a similar examination for GMI plants.

The possibilities of using genetic engineering in the production of agricultural products of animal origin are considered, for example, to increase the gross output of livestock products due to gene potentiation of growth as a result of intensive production of growth hormone. In the foreseeable future, subject to the proven safety of genetic modification technologies, the amount of GMI food will steadily increase, which will maintain agricultural productivity at an acceptable level and create a scientific and practical basis for the development of the artificial food industry.

6.8.2. Genetically modified food sources

Genetically modified food sources(GMI food) are food products (components) used by humans in natural or processed form, obtained from genetically modified raw materials and / or organisms. They belong to the group of the most significant new food products produced using modern biotechnological techniques.

Traditional biotechnological methods of food production have been known for a very long time. These include bakery, cheese making, winemaking, brewing. Modern biotechnology is based on genetic engineering techniques that make it possible to obtain end products with very precise specified properties, while conventional selection associated with linked gene transfer does not allow such results to be achieved.

The technology for creating GMI plants includes several stages:

obtaining target genes responsible for the manifestation of a given trait;

creation of a vector containing the target gene and factors of its functioning;

transformation of plant cells;

regeneration of the whole plant from the transformed cell.

Target genes, for example, providing resistance, are selected among various objects of the biosphere (in particular, bacteria) by targeted search using gene libraries.

The creation of a vector is the process of constructing a carrier of the target gene, which is usually carried out on the basis of plasmids, which provide further optimal insertion into the plant genome. In addition to the target gene, a transcription promoter and terminator and marker genes are also introduced into the vector. A transcription promoter and terminator are used to achieve the desired level of expression of the target gene. The cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter is currently most commonly used as a transcription initiator, and NOS from Agrobacterium tumefaciens is used as a terminator.

For the transformation of plant cells - the process of transferring the constructed vector, two main technologies are used: agrobacterial and ballistic. The first is based on the natural ability of bacteria of the Agrobacterium family to exchange genetic material with plants. Ballistic technology is associated with microbombardment of plant cells with metal (gold, tungsten) particles associated with DNA (target gene), during which the genetic material is mechanically incorporated into the plant cell genome. Confirmation of insertion of the target gene is carried out using marker genes represented by antibiotic resistance genes. Modern technologies provide for the elimination of marker genes at the stage of obtaining GMI of a plant from a transformed cell.

Giving plants resistance to herbicides is carried out by introducing genes that express enzyme proteins (analogues of which are pesticide targets) that are not sensitive to this class of herbicides, for example, to glyphosate (roundup), chlorsulfuron and imidazoline herbicides, or provide accelerated degradation of pesticides in plants, e.g. ammonium glufosinate, dalapon.

Resistance to insects, in particular to the Colorado potato beetle, is determined by the insecticidal action of expressed entomotoxin proteins that specifically bind to receptors in the intestinal epithelium, which leads to disruption of local osmotic balance, swelling and lysis of cells, and death of the insect. The target resistance gene for the Colorado potato beetle was isolated from the soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This entomotoxin is harmless to warm-blooded animals and humans, other insects. Preparations based on it are more than semi claims widely used in developed countries as insecticides.

With the help of genetic engineering technology, enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, food proteins are already being obtained, new varieties of plants and animal breeds, microbial strains are being synthesized. Genetically modified artificial

Plant-derived food processors are currently the main GMOs actively produced in the world. In the eight years from 1996 to 2003, the total area sown with GMI crops increased 40 times (from 1.7 million hectares in 1996 to 67.7 million hectares in 2003). The first genetically modified food product that went on the market in 1994 in the United States was the tomato, which is shelf stable by slowing down the degradation of pectin. Since that time, a large number of so-called first-generation GMO foods have been developed and grown - providing high yields due to resistance to pests and pesticides. The next generations of GMI will be created in order to improve the taste properties, nutritional value of products (high content of vitamins and microelements, optimal fatty acid and amino acid compositions, etc.), increase resistance to climatic factors, extend shelf life, increase the efficiency of photosynthesis and nitrogen utilization.

Currently, the vast majority (99%) of all GMO crops are grown in six countries: USA (63%), Argentina (21%), Canada (6%), Brazil (4%), China (4%) and South Africa ( one %). The remaining 1% is produced in other countries of Europe (Spain, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria), Southeast Asia (India, Indonesia, Philippines), South America (Uruguay, Colombia, Honduras), Australia, Mexico.

In agricultural production, the most widely used GMI crops are resistant to herbicides - 73% of the total area of ​​cultivation, resistant to pests - 18%, possessing both traits - 8%. Among the main GMI plants, the leading positions are occupied by: soybeans - 61%, corn - 23% and rapeseed - 5%. The GMI of potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini and other crops accounts for less than 1%. In addition to increased yields, an important medicinal advantage of GMO plants is their lower content of insecticide residues and less accumulation of mycotoxins (as a result of reduced insect infestation).

However, there are potential dangers (medical and biological risks) of using GMI food associated with possible pleiotropic (multiple unpredictable) effects of the inserted gene; allergic effects of an atypical protein; toxic effects of an atypical protein; long-term consequences.

In the Russian Federation, a legislative and regulatory framework has been created and is functioning that regulates the production, import from abroad and circulation of food products obtained from GMI. The main tasks in this area are: ensuring the safety of food products produced from

genetically modified materials; protection of the ecological system from the penetration of alien biological organisms; prediction of genetic aspects of biological safety; creation of a system of state control over the circulation of genetically modified materials. The procedure for conducting a sanitary and epidemiological examination of food products obtained from GMI for their state registration includes biomedical, medical genetic and technological assessments. The examination is carried out by the authorized federal body with the involvement of leading scientific institutions in the relevant field.

Medical and biological assessment of food products obtained from GMI is carried out at the Research Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences (and other leading medical research institutes) and includes studies of:

compositional equivalence (chemical composition, organoleptic properties) of GMI products to their species analogues;

morphological, hematological and biochemical parameters;

allergenic properties;

influence on the immune status;

influence on reproductive function;

neurotoxicity;

genotoxicity;

mutagenicity;

carcinogenicity;

10) sensitive biomarkers (activity of enzymes of the 1st and 2nd phases of xenobiotic metabolism, activity of enzymes of the antioxidant defense system and lipid peroxidation processes).

Technological assessment is aimed at studying the physico-chemical parameters that are essential in food production, for example, the possibility of using traditional methods of processing food raw materials, obtaining familiar food forms and achieving normal consumer characteristics. So, for example, for GMI potatoes, the possibility of preparing potato chips, mashed potatoes, semi-finished products, etc. is evaluated.

Special attention is drawn to the issues of environmental safety of GMI. From these positions, the possibility of horizontal transfer of the target gene is assessed: from GMI culture to a similar natural form or weed plant, plasmid transfer in the intestinal microbiocenosis. From an ecological point of view, the introduction of GMI into natural biosystems should not lead to a decrease in species diversity, the emergence of new pesticide-resistant plant and insect species, the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of microorganisms that have

pathogenic potential. In accordance with internationally recognized approaches for the evaluation of new food sources (WHO, EU directives), food products derived from GMOs that are identical in terms of nutritional value and safety to their traditional counterparts are considered safe and allowed for commercial use.

At the beginning of 2005, 13 types of food raw materials from GMI, which are resistant to pesticides or pests, were registered in the Russian Federation in the Russian Federation and authorized by the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia for import into the country, use in the food industry and sale to the population without restrictions. : three lines of soybeans, six lines of corn, two varieties of potatoes, one line of sugar beet and one line of rice. All of them are used both directly for food and in the production of hundreds of food products: bread and bakery products, flour confectionery products, sausages, semi-finished meat products, culinary products, canned meat and vegetable and fish vegetables, baby food, food concentrates, soups and fast cereals. cooking, chocolate and other sweet confectionery, chewing gum.

In addition, there is a wide range of food raw materials that have genetically modified analogues that are allowed for sale on the world food market, but are not declared for registration in the Russian Federation, which can potentially enter the domestic market and are subject to control for the presence of GMI. To this end, the Russian Federation has established the procedure and organization of control over food products obtained using raw materials of plant origin that have genetically modified analogues. Control is carried out in the order of current supervision when putting products into production, their production and turnover.

State sanitary and epidemiological supervision of food products obtained from raw materials of plant origin, which have genetically modified analogues, is carried out by territorial bodies and institutions authorized to carry it out, in the order of the current examination: documents and product samples. Based on the results of the examination of food products, a sanitary and epidemiological conclusion of the established form is issued. Upon detection of a GMI food registered in the federal register, a positive conclusion is issued. If an unregistered GMI is found, a negative conclusion is issued, on the basis of which these products are not subject to import, production and circulation on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Standardized laboratory tests used as identification for the presence of GMI include:

screening studies (determination of the presence of the fact of genetic modification - - genes of promoters, terminators, markers) - by PCR;

identification of the transformational event (presence of the target gene) by PCR and using a biological microchip;

quantitative analysis of recombinant DNA and expressed protein - by PCR (real time) and quantitative enzyme immunoassay.

In order to exercise the rights of consumers to receive complete and reliable information about the technology for the production of food products derived from GMI, mandatory labeling of this type of product has been introduced: on labels (labels) or leaflets of packaged food products (including those not containing deoxyribonucleic acid and protein ), information in Russian is required: “genetically modified products” or “products obtained from genetically modified sources”, or “products contain components from genetically modified sources” (for food products containing more than 0.9% GMI components).

The system for assessing the safety of food products from GMI, adopted in the Russian Federation, involves post-registration monitoring of the turnover of these products. GMI foods such as barley, sunflower, peanuts, Jerusalem artichoke, sweet potato, cassava, eggplant, cabbage (various head varieties, cauliflower, broccoli), carrots, turnips, beets, cucumbers, lettuce, chicory, onions, leeks, garlic, peas, sweet peppers, olives (olives), apples, pears, quince, cherries, apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines, sloes, lemons, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, limes, persimmons, grapes, kiwi, pineapple, dates, figs, avocado, mango, tea, coffee.

In the production of food products that have genetically modified analogues, control of GMI should be included in production control programs. In addition to GMI plants are being developed for use in food production for technological purposes GMM, which are widely used in the starch and baking industry, the production of cheese, alcoholic beverages (beer, ethyl alcohol) and dietary supplements for food. In these food industries, GM M is used as starter cultures, bacterial concentrates, starter cultures for fermented products and fermentation products, enzyme preparations, food additives (preservative E234 - nisin), vitamin preparations (riboflavin, (3-carotene).

In the Russian Federation, sanitary-epidemiological, microbiological and molecular genetic examinations of food products obtained using GMMs are carried out in a manner similar to a similar examination for GMI plants.

The possibilities of using genetic engineering in the production of agricultural products of animal origin are considered, for example, to increase the gross output of livestock products due to gene potentiation of growth as a result of intensive production of growth hormone. In the foreseeable future, subject to the proven safety of genetic modification technologies, the amount of GMI food will steadily increase, which will maintain agricultural productivity at an acceptable level and create a scientific and practical basis for the development of the artificial food industry.

The desire throughout human history to increase the nutritional value and safety of food, ensuring the availability of food has been realized through the improvement of plant and farm animal breeding, the cultivation, harvesting and storage of agricultural products, as well as the methods of processing and storing prepared foods. Approaches to improve the quality and availability of food products have led to a change in the genetics and physiology of the organisms used for food production. By selective breeding of plants and animals or selection of the best strains of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi) or by the targeted introduction of mutations that give the desired properties of food sources, the organization of the genome of these organisms has been radically changed. Traditional crop breeding programs have been successful in multiplying and enhancing the positive properties of related plants. However, it has now become impossible to continue increasing yields by such methods. Another huge problem is the unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of crop diseases.

The relatively recent use in food production of methods that are combined under the general term "genetic modification", or obtaining food from genetically modified sources, has attracted increased public attention and even prejudice. Genetic modification methods allow you to change the organization of the genetic material in a targeted, fast and confident way, as was not possible with traditional breeding methods. However, the goals of genetic modification and traditional breeding methods are the same.

Thus, genetic modification is only one of the modern technologies for food production. Currently, only plant genetically modified food sources are considered for nutritional purposes. No animals have yet been genetically modified for food production. However, given the intensity of research and the rapidity of scientific data, this statement may become outdated immediately after the publication of this book.

Term "genetic modification" used to refer to a process by which the organization of genetic material can be changed using recombinant DNA techniques. This process involves the use of laboratory techniques to introduce, modify, or excise sections of DNA containing one or more genes. The difference between genetic modification and conventional breeding methods lies in the ability to manipulate individual genes and transfer genes between different types of plants, animals and microorganisms that cannot be crossed.

The first transgenic plants were bred in 1984. By 2000, about 100 plant species had undergone genetic modification. However, only 8-10 crops are currently of agricultural importance. Several plant species have been modified to change their composition and nutritional value, but these crops are not currently approved for agricultural production and food production. Most first-generation GM crops (grown in production volumes) are crops modified for the sole purpose of increasing yield, facilitating harvesting and processing, better preservation, or a combination of these qualities. This is achieved by imparting resistance to diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, insect resistance or herbicide resistance. An important incentive to create genetically modified crops is to reduce the forced use of insecticides and other pesticides with a wide spectrum of action.

Several methods are used to breed plants protected by genetic modification from harmful insects. The most common method of incorporating and expressing genes derived from a soil bacterium Bacillus thuringientis(Bt). These bacteria produce, during sporulation, crystals of a protein (delta-endotoxin) that has an insecticidal effect. Preparations made from bacterial spores or isolated protein have been used as insecticides for many years. In crops genetically modified to express B1 toxins, protection from insects occurs through the same mechanism. Toxins are produced in an inactive form, which is activated by insect intestinal proteinases. The toxin attaches to receptors in the gut and damages it.

Genetically modified food sources

Mammals, including humans, do not have such receptors. Therefore, B1 toxins are selectively toxic to insects and non-toxic to mammals.

Other insecticide genes that are used in the breeding of genetically modified crops encode plant lectins, inhibitors of digestive enzymes of pests (proteases and amylases), or are involved in the biosynthesis of secondary plant metabolites.

Genetically modified plants resistant to herbicides have been obtained by introducing into plants a gene isolated from one of the soil microorganisms.

To increase virus resistance, genetic modification allows for a different approach - "immunization". Genetically modified virus-resistant crops have been created in which plants with the expression of genes encoding certain viral proteins acquire immunity to subsequent infection with a pathogenic virus.

Most of the crops currently bred by genetic modification methods have higher agricultural characteristics. In the future development of genetic modification technology - the creation of food products with a given or improved nutritional value. So far, food products with modified nutritional value created by genetic modification methods are not available on the market. However, experimental samples already exist and their arrival in human nutrition is very likely. This is guided by the already existing examples of obtaining new varieties of agricultural plants with modified nutritional properties by traditional breeding methods: rapeseed with a low level of erucic acid, sunflower with a high content of linoleic acid.

Biological features and safety of genetically modified food sources

Foods derived from species bred by traditional breeding methods have been eaten for hundreds of years, and new species continue to emerge. Varieties that have essentially the same properties are also bred by genetic modification methods by transferring one or more genes. It is generally accepted that conventional methods of breeding new varieties of crops are safer than genetic modification technology.

An analysis of the pathways and mechanisms through which potentially hazardous factors for health can enter or form in food shows that foods obtained by genetic modification methods do not inherently pose any unique risk. Alterations in inherent nutritional characteristics, toxicity, and allergenicity of foods can occur as a result of changes in gene expression, whether caused by traditional breeding methods or genetic modification methods. However, currently in the EU countries, products obtained by genetic modification methods are subject to more stringent assessment and scrutiny than products obtained by other methods. This is not because such products pose a greater risk, but only as a precautionary measure until experience with this technology is gained.

Recently, a fundamentally new way of changing food raw materials has appeared - genetic modification.

As a result of human intervention in the genetic apparatus of microorganisms, crops and animal breeds, it became possible to increase the resistance of crops and animals to diseases, pests and adverse environmental factors, increase product yield, obtain a qualitatively new food raw material with desired properties (organoleptic indicators, nutritional value). , stability during storage, etc.).

Genetically Modified Food Sources (GMI)- these are food products (components) used by humans in natural or processed form, obtained from genetically modified organisms.

genetically modified organism- an organism or several organisms, any non-cellular, unicellular or multicellular formations capable of reproducing or transferring hereditary genetic material, other than natural organisms, obtained using genetic engineering methods and containing genetically engineered material, including genes, their fragments or a combination genes.

transgenic organisms organisms that have undergone genetic transformation.

To create transgenic organisms, techniques have been developed that allow cutting out the necessary fragments from DNA molecules, modifying them in an appropriate way, reconstructing them into a single whole and cloning - multiplying in a large number of copies.

The first step towards the creation of genetically modified products was taken by American engineers, who in 1994, after 10 years of testing, released a batch of unusually stable tomatoes on the US market. In 1996, manufacturers of genetically modified foods sold seeds to Europe for the first time. In 1999, the first genetically modified soybean line 40-3-2 (Monsanto Co, USA) was registered in Russia.

Currently genetically modified plants considered as bioreactors, intended for obtaining proteins with a given amino acid composition, oils with a fatty acid composition, as well as carbohydrates, enzymes, food additives, etc. (Rogov I. A., 2000). So, in Texas they created maroon carrots with a high content of b-carotene, anthocyanins, antioxidants, as well as carrots rich in lycopene; in Switzerland, a rice variety with a high content of iron and vitamin A was developed, etc. At present, the genes of storage proteins of soy, peas, beans, corn, and potatoes have been cloned.

New technologies for obtaining transgenic agricultural animals and birds. The ability to use the specificity and direction of integrated genes allows you to increase productivity, optimize individual parts and tissues of carcasses (carcasses), improve the texture, taste and aromatic properties of meat. change the structure and color of muscle tissue, the degree and nature of fat content, pH, stiffness, water-holding capacity, as well as improve its manufacturability and industrial suitability, which is especially important in conditions of shortage of meat raw materials.

The production of crops and food products using genetic engineering methods is one of the fastest growing segments of the global agricultural market.

There is a clear understanding in the international scientific community that due to the growth of the Earth's population, which, according to forecasts, should reach 9-11 billion people by 2050, there is a need to double or even triple the world agricultural production, which is impossible without the use of transgenic organisms .

In 2000 alone, the turnover of the world market for food products using gene technologies amounted to about 20 billion dollars, and over the past few years, the sown areas under transgenic plants (soybeans; corn, potatoes, tomatoes, sugar beets) have increased more than 20 times and amounted to over 25 million hectares. This trend is progressively increasing in many countries: USA, Argentina, China, Canada, South Africa, Mexico, France, Spain, Portugal, etc.

More than 150 genetically modified sources are currently produced in the United States. According to American biotechnologists, in the next 5-10 years, all food products in the United States will contain genetically modified material.

However, around the world, disputes about the safety of genetically modified food sources do not subside. Academician of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences I.A. Rogov (2000) points to the unpredictability of the behavior of genetically modified proteins in model systems and finished products. But to date, detailed studies have not been carried out regarding the safety of these products for the human body. The accumulation of experimental material will take decades, which is why there is not enough information in the literature about how much a person can consume this kind of food daily; what proportion should it occupy in the diet; how it affects the human genetic code and most importantly - there is no objective information about its harmlessness.

There is some evidence (Braun K.S., 2000) that genetically modified foods may contain toxins, harmful hormonal substances (rBGH) and pose a threat to human health. Analytical and experimental studies also point to possible allergenic, toxic and antialimentary manifestations, which are caused by recombinant DNA and the possibility of expressing new proteins that are not inherent in this type of product on its basis. It is the new proteins that can independently manifest or induce the allergenic properties and toxicity of GMIs. Another undesirable effect of GMI is the possibility of transformation of the transferred genetic material.

Regulation of the production of genetically modified sources in the United States is under strict state control.

Since September 1998, mandatory GMI labeling on product labels has been adopted in the EU member countries, and in April 1999 a moratorium on the distribution of new genetically modified crops was adopted due to the fact that their harmlessness to human health has not been finally proven.

In Russia, taking into account the increasing volumes of production and supply of products obtained from genetically modified sources, on the basis of the Federal Law "On the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of public health", the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation adopted a letter dated May 2, 2000 "Requirements for the labeling of food products obtained using genetically modified sources”, Resolution: No. 14 dated 08.11.2000 “On the procedure for sanitary and epidemiological examination of food products obtained from genetically modified sources”, No. 149 dated 16.09.2003 “On the conduct of microbiological and molecular - genetic examination of genetically modified microorganisms used in food production”.

To the list of products obtained from genetically modified sources containing protein or DNA, and subject to mandatory labeling include: soybeans, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, sugar beets and their products, as well as individual food additives and dietary supplements.

An approximate list of products obtained using genetically modified microorganisms, subject to sanitary and epidemiological examination, includes: food products obtained using lactic acid bacteria - enzyme producers; dairy products and smoked sausages obtained using "starter" cultures; beer and cheeses made with modified yeast; probiotics containing genetically modified strains.