The new GMO potatoes have been genetically engineered to resist the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine, and likely will be planted this spring before being sold in the fall. The potatoes are part of the “Innate” line from J.R. Dec 04, 2013 If the GMO potatoes, salmon and apples all fail in the marketplace, companies will be loathe to invest further in plant biotechnology. As it happens, this isn't the first time a biotech company.

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A genetically modified potato is a potato that has had its genes modified, using genetic engineering. Goals of modification include introducing pest resistance, tweaking the amounts of certain chemicals produced by the plant, and to prevent browning or bruising of the tubers. Varieties modified to produce large amounts of starches may be approved for industrial use only, not for food.

Currently marketed varieties[edit]

Used for food[edit]

Innate[edit]

The genetically modified Innate potato was approved by the United States Department of Agriculture in 2014^[1] and the US FDA in 2015.^[2][3][4] The cultivar was developed by J. R. Simplot Company. It is designed to resist blackspot bruising, browning and to contain less of the amino acidasparagine that turns into acrylamide during the frying of potatoes. Acrylamide is a probable human carcinogen, so reduced levels of it in fried potato foods is desirable.^[5][6] The 'Innate' name comes from the fact that this variety does not contain any genetic material from other species (the genes used are 'innate' to potatoes) and uses RNA interference to switch off genes. Simplot hopes that not including genes from other species will assuage consumer fears about biotechnology.^[5]

The 'Innate' potato is not a single cultivar; rather, it is a group of potato varieties that have had the same genetic alterations applied using the same process. Five different potato varieties have been transformed, creating 'innate' versions of the varieties, with all of the original traits, plus the engineered ones. Ranger Russet, Russet Burbank, and Atlantic potatoes have all been transformed by Simplot, as well as two proprietary varieties. Modifications of each variety involved two transformations, one for each of the two new traits. Thus there was a total of ten transformation events in developing the different Innate varieties.^[7]

McDonald's is a major consumer of potatoes in the US. The Food and Water Watch has petitioned the company to reject the newly marketed Innate potatoes.^[8] McDonald's has announced that they have ruled out using Innate.^[9]

Previously marketed varieties[edit]

Used for food[edit]

NewLeaf[edit]

In 1995, Monsanto introduced the NewLeaf variety of potato which was their first genetically modified crop. It was designed to resist attack from the Colorado potato beetle due to the insertion of Bt toxin producing genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. The insect-resistant potatoes found only a small market, and Monsanto discontinued the sale of seed in 2001.^[10]

Used in industry[edit]

Amflora[edit]

'Amflora' (also known as EH92-527-1) was a cultivar developed by BASF Plant Science for production of pure amylopectin starch for processing into waxy potato starch.^[11] It was approved for industrial applications in the European Union market on 2 March 2010 by the European Commission,^[12] but was withdrawn from the EU market in January 2012 due to a lack of acceptance from farmers and consumers.^[13]

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Unmarketed varieties[edit]

A modified Désirée potato was developed in the 1990s by biochemist^[14]John Gatehouse at Cambridge Agricultural Genetics (later renamed Axis Genetics) and had gone through two years of field trials at Rothamsted Experimental Station.^[15] The potatoes were modified to express the Galanthus nivalis agglutinin (GNA) gene from the Galanthus (snowdrop) plant, which caused them to produce GNA lectin protein that is toxic to some insects.^[16][17] This variety of potatoes is the one which was involved in the Pusztai affair.

In 2014, a team of British scientists published a paper about three-year field trial showing that another genetically modified version of the Désirée cultivar can resist infection after exposure to late blight, one of the most serious diseases of potatoes. They developed this potato for blight resistance by inserting a gene (Rpi-vnt1.1), into the DNA of Désirée potatoes. This gene, which conferred the resistance to blight, was isolated from a wild relative of potatoes, Solanum venturii, which is a native of South America.^[18][19]

In 2017 scientists in Bangladesh developed their own variety of blight resistant GM potato.^[20]

References[edit]

1. ^Tracy, Tennille (November 20, 2014). 'Genetically Modified Potato Wins Approval From USDA'. Wall Street Journal.
2. ^'Introducing Innate™ Technology'. simplotplantsciences.com. J. R. Simplot Company. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
3. ^'J.R. Simplot Company Petition (13-022-01p) for Determination of Non-Regulated Status for InnateTM Potatoes with Low Acrylamide Potential and Reduced Black Spot Bruise: Events E12 and E24 (Russet Burbank); F10 and F37 (Ranger Russet); J3, J55, and J78 (Atlantic); G11 (G); H37 and H50 (H)'(PDF). aphis.usda.gov. United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. March 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
4. ^'FDA concludes Arctic Apples and Innate Potatoes are safe for consumption'. fda.gov. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. March 20, 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
5. ^ ^abPollack, Andrew (7 Nov 2014). 'U.S.D.A. Approves Modified Potato. Next Up: French Fry Fans'. nytimes.com. The New York Times Company HomeSearch. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
6. ^Glenza, Jessica (8 Nov 2014). ''Innate Potato' heads for market but GM watchdogs chip away at Simplot success'. theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
7. ^von Mogel, Karl Haro (8 May 2013). 'Q&A with Haven Baker on Simplot's Innate™ Potatoes'. biofortified.org. Biology Fortified, Inc. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
8. ^Charles, Dan (13 January 2015). 'GMO Potatoes Have Arrived. But Will Anyone Buy Them?'. npr.org. NPR. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
9. ^Gunther, Marc (4 December 2013). 'McDonald's GMO dilemma: why fries are causing such a fuss'. theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
10. ^Kilman, Scott (21 March 2001). 'Monsanto's Genetically Modified Potatoes Find Slim Market, Despite Repelling Bugs'. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
11. ^'BASF drops GM potato projects'. Chemistry World. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
12. ^'GM potato to be grown in Europe'. The Guardian. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
13. ^James Kanter for the New York Times. January 16, 2012. BASF to Stop Selling Genetically Modified Products in Europe
14. ^'Professor J.A. Gatehouse – Durham University'. Archived from the original on 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2015-04-26.
15. ^Arpad Pusztai GM Food Safety: Scientific and Institutional Issues Science as Culture, Volume 11 Number 1 March 2002
16. ^Ewen SW, Pusztai A (October 1999). 'Effect of diets containing genetically modified potatoes expressing Galanthus nivalis lectin on rat small intestine'. Lancet. 354 (9187): 1353–4. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(98)05860-7. PMID10533866. S2CID17252112.
17. ^Murdock, L. L.; Shade, R. E. (2002). 'Lectins and Protease Inhibitors as Plant Defenses against Insects'. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 50 (22): 6605–6611. doi:10.1021/jf020192c. PMID12381159.
18. ^McGrath, Matt (17 February 2014). 'Genetically modified potatoes 'resist late blight''. bbc.com. BBC. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
19. ^Jones, J. D. G.; Witek, K.; Verweij, W.; Jupe, F.; Cooke, D.; Dorling, S.; Tomlinson, L.; Smoker, M.; Perkins, S.; Foster, S. (17 February 2014). 'Elevating crop disease resistance with cloned genes'. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 369 (1639): 20130087. doi:10.1098/rstb.2013.0087. PMC3928893. PMID24535396.
20. ^Pieterse, Lukie (2017-01-06). 'Bangladesh: GM potato crop ready for release'. Potato News Today. Retrieved 2017-01-31.

Further reading[edit]

• Halterman, Dennis; Guenthner, Joe; Collinge, Susan; Butler, Nathaniel; Douches, David (19 November 2015). 'Biotech Potatoes in the 21st Century: 20 Years Since the First Biotech Potato'. American Journal of Potato Research. 93 (1): 1–20. doi:10.1007/s12230-015-9485-1.

• D. R. Rockhold, M. M. Maccree & W. R. Belknap (6 December 2012). '20. Transgenic Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)'. Transgenic Crops II. Springer. pp. 305–324. ISBN978-3-642-56901-2.

In a rare press announcement on GMO crops, the FDA said the gene-altered apples and potatoes are good for commercial plating since they are 'as safe and nutritious as their conventional counterparts'.

The decision increases these products’ chances of finally appearing on the grocery stores’ shelves.

The approval covers six kinds of potatoes by Boise, Idaho-based J. R. Simplot Co. and two types of apples by the Canadian company Okanagan Specialty Fruits.

The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service approved them as being safe in mid-February. This authority is, however, primarily concerned with crops not posing threat to other plants, while the FDA considers food safety.

Okanagan Specialty Fruits developedthe so-called ‘Arctic Apples’ to decrease fruit wastage as slices which do not go brown look more attractive to consumers, and are easier to both transport and sell without spoilage. Scientists changed the strains’ genomes to cut the production of key enzymes which are involved in the browning process.

The J. R. Simplot Company went further and said their Innate potatoes which resist the formation of black spot bruises, produce less acrylamide – a potential cancer-causing chemical– when they are fried.

Despite the positive reviews from authorities, consumer and environmental activists have been opposing the new crop, insisting that genetically modified food may have potential dangers which are as of yet undisclosed. According to Greg Jaffe, Director of the Project on Biotechnology for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, 'Congress should pass legislation that requires new biotech crops to undergo a rigorous and mandatory approval process before foods made from those crops reach the marketplace. Such a system would give consumers much greater confidence that all genetically engineered products have been independently reviewed and found to be safe.'

They also criticized the FDA for the 'cursory' data checks given by companies producing such products.

The FDA has been accused of using words and phrases that sound more like the company’s conclusion than their own. In particular, the letter to Okanagan says: 'It is our understanding' that Okanagan 'has concluded' that the apples do not differ much in safety and nutrition from other apples.

Some apple growing companies, processors and exporters have already expressed their concerns that the GM apple will spoil the fruit’s image and deter customers.

#USDA OKs planting #GMO non-browning @ArcticApples; #FDA#foodsafety approval pending. http://t.co/WotwfUcwhKpic.twitter.com/DLFks9szQx

— Richard Lobb (@RLobb) February 13, 2015

Okanagan Fruit Growers’ Association (BCFGA) president, Fred Steele, has said: 'If you’re going to let the market decide, you’re going to have to give people a reference point to make a decision based on their personal purchasing habits, and I would assume that would be through some kind of labeling. If the Artic Apple isn’t labeled as a genetically modified (GMO) product, consumers who don’t want to buy modified foods might want to stay away from all apples, including those that are non-GMO.'

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There are also concerns that apple exports to countries which do not like GM products may be hit as well.

It’s still not clear if Okagan and Simplot will label their products. FDA is currently reviewing two petitions to require labeling but the decision is yet to be made.

Simplot’s spokesman Doug Cole also says their company is selling seeds to growers and cannot be responsible over whether the final products will be labeled or not. But the company would urge their partners to label the products in a way which points out its benefits like saying ‘less bruising’ just as it is done with seedless watermelons.

The first apple crops are expected on the US market in 2017. Potatoes may become available in just a few months.