How Can GMOs Allow for Greater Nutrition?

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Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), more often known as genetically modified crops, can fix the problem of low nutrition on certain crops. GMOs involve isolating the desired gene from the organism and inserting the gene into the DNA of the crop to show the desired trait. Golden rice is a great example of this technology solving the problem mentioned.

Golden rice was made to address vitamin A needs in populations that heavily rely on rice as a staple. The scientific process behind creating golden rice concerns the introduction of specific genes into the embryo of the rice plant. Researchers genetically modified the rice plant by introducing the phy gene, which makes enzymes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis. Carotenoids are natural pigments found in plants and can be converted into vitamin A in the human body. Additionally, the Ctrl gene from Erwinia Uredovora was inserted, which helped convert certain plant elements into vitamin A. The researchers then injected the gene into the embryo. 

First, the researchers injected the desired gene into a plasmid. A plasmid is a circular DNA molecule that can replicate itself and make the possibilities of presenting the phenotype of the gene, and it could be transferred between cells to share the gene carried. The researcher then had two choices to inject the gene into the cell. Initially, the researchers used the way of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. In this method, researchers placed the plasmid into the bacteria by placing the two in an environment. Following that, they utilized heat shock or electroporation that made holes in the cell membrane of the bacteria, allowing the numerous plasmids around it to get in. Subsequently, the bacteria got into the plant by making a wound manually. The bacteria, or AMT, then activated the virulence gene that assembles and forms T4SS; this created a path through the cell wall and membrane of the plant for the transfer of T-DNA that affects how the plant grows and functions. The plant incorporated the gene and started functioning with the inserted gene. 

The plant integrated the gene since the AMT released effector proteins when it infected the plant, successfully deceiving the T-DNA. The T-DNA also sequenced itself to make the plant think that it is a DNA of itself instead of an intruder. If the hereditary traits of golden rice are successfully passed down to subsequent generations, the breeding process can be deemed successful.

One positive implication of the technology would be saving space and money–an economic benefit for the farmers. They would be able to buy fewer crops to start with since the crops have more nutrients, and they would save space as fewer crops would be needed for the same amount of nutrients.

The negative implications of this technology would vary in different ways. Through pollinators like bees, GMO crops could contaminate organic crops with their pollen. Farmers who grow organic crops would lose their reputation if they were found to have GMO crops because pollinators have spread GMO pollen to organic crops. In addition, people would need to spend time, money, and effort to prove that the crops are not genetically modified because the suppliers could hide the truth. If suppliers mark their products as organic and consumers later find out they are GMOs, suppliers will lose their reputation. This money spent on proving the crop would be huge, economically damaging them.

Undoubtedly, people and organizations tied to food would be affected the most. Those who use GMOs, like food processing companies that make wheat into flour or turn corn into starch, for instance, would benefit the most. These companies would profit from GMOs by getting the raw material at a lower price because there would be more nutrients in crops. On the other hand, some consumers would prefer to buy processed products that are not GMOs since the common belief is that GMOs are harmful to the environment and to consumers because it isn’t natural. Some claim that humans are acting as gods and modifying crops, causing pollution and disease. This societal disagreement with GMOs would have negative impacts on businesses involving GMOs. As mentioned earlier, they could have a high risk of losing their jobs because of competition and glutted GMOs.

There are a lot of potential ethical dilemmas for GMO crops. One of them is the loss of jobs as farmers. Since people don’t need copious amounts of crops, the market would be glutted with crops. There would be farmers that could not sell any of their grown crops. They would lose their job as farmers and need to participate in other jobs. Another aspect could be that GMO crops invented are held onto by certain companies that would not distribute this technology to society. This would cause monopoly, which would cause serious problems because there is no competition, and the price of the GMO crop would grow insanely high, ultimately causing food prices to increase.

After evaluating these factors, I believe that GMOs should be used. The main issue with GMOs isn’t in an economic aspect, but it is the societal worries regarding the safety of GMOs. Some believe they can cause harm in the long term, which could cause low sales of GMOs and make organic food costly. However, I would like to compare it to how people viewed trains before. They believed that trains could be dangerous, with the possibility of getting off the track while requiring expensive money investment. Nonetheless, trains are vastly used nowadays, without much concern. GMOs are already proven to have no negative impacts on the human body, at least according to recent research. Problems like monopoly could be solved by the country spending money on researching GMOs and benefiting farmers. Long-term problems could be avoided by the country investing in researching the unknown and trying to solve it. Just like trains, GMOs can change the world.

Works Cited

Amilia Pratiwi, Risha, and Muhammad Imam Surya. "Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation." IntechOpen - Open Science Open Minds | IntechOpen, 26 Apr. 2020, www.intechopen.com/chapters/71943. Accessed 20 Oct. 2023.

Barrell, Amanda. "Pros and Cons of GMO Foods: Health and Environment." Medical and Health Information, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324576. Accessed 20 Oct. 2023.

GMO Answers. "Do GMOs Cause Cancer?" GMO Answers, gmoanswers.com/do-gmos-cause-cancers. Accessed 20 Oct. 2023.

"Golden Rice FAQs." International Rice Research Institute, 16 Aug. 2022, www.irri.org/golden-rice-faqs. Accessed 20 Oct. 2023.

Hirsch, Jonathan. "The Economic Issues Surrounding GMOs." TheDailyMeal.com, 20 Feb. 2014, www.thedailymeal.com/economics-gmo/22014/. Accessed 20 Oct. 2023. 

Manetti, Stefania, and San Jose. "Genetically Engineered Foods: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia." MedlinePlus - Health Information from the National Library of Medicine, 30 July 2022, medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002432.htm. Accessed 26 Sept. 2023.

Mayer, Jorge. "The Science Behind Golden Rice." The Golden Rice Project, www.goldenrice.org/Content2-How/how1_sci.php. Accessed 20 Oct. 2023.

Neural Academy. YouTube, 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=08Q-MVeNeTU. Accessed 20 Oct. 2023.