Preview

Gmo Lab Report

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2784 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Gmo Lab Report
Genetically Modified Organisms

INTRODUCTION:

The purpose of this lab was to identify if non-labeled food products are actually genetically modified foods. Before we could begin testing this theory we first had to gain an understanding about genetically modified organisms in general. This was rather easy because if you have been to any grocery store lately you have without a doubt seen products with labels saying "GMO-free" or even "contains only non-GMO ingredients." GMO actually stands for Genetically Modified Organisms, and this refers to any products that have been manipulated or altered at the gene level. Modifying plants is not a new concept. "For centuries, gardeners and farmers have been crossbreeding different species of plants to create plants that produce heartier, better tasting, or more beautiful crops." (Mateljan) However, crossbreeding of plants is acceptable to most individuals where as genetically modifying foods is not. According to the paper Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize " Currently, no regulatory authority requests mandatory chronic animal feeding studies to be performed for edible GMOs and formulated pesticides." (Séralini)This is a major concern to many individuals who have been unaware that they were consuming GMO's in the first place. The genetic engineering of foods that is called GMO's causes many concerns around the world. To genetically engineer a plant one must first obtain genes from an animal, plant, bacterium, or virus. These genes are then inserted into a different organism, usually a plant, which changes the genetic code of the plant forever. The genetic code, or the blueprint that is used to determine all of the organisms physical characteristics are changed within the organisms, this is where people tend to have a problem with GMO's. According to the paper How to Deal with the Upcoming Challenges in GMO Detection in Food and Feed " In many countries



Cited: Mateljan, George. The Worlds Healthiest Foods. Seattle: George Mateljan Foundation, 2006. Séralini, Gilles-Eric. "Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant." Elsevier (2012): 4221-4231. Sylvia R. M. Broeders, Sigrid C. J. De Keersmaecker, and Nancy H. C. Roosen. "How to Deal with the Upcoming Challenges in." Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnolog (2012): 11.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Miss

    • 8881 Words
    • 29 Pages

    Samples are gathered from each group of crop and analyzed to see if there is any indication of GMO. Depletion of Resources DNA based methods like the PCR technology, Label-free biosensors and electrochemical biosensors are used to identify GMO in crops by identifying the existence of introduced DNA. These methods are versatile, sensitive, specific and precise but also have major drawbacks because of the time required for analysis and the expensive specialized equipment needed to conduct the testing. PCR or polymerase chain reaction is a biochemical technology used to amplify DNA across numerous commands of scale which in turn create up to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence. By analyzing DNA using this technology technologists are able to compare separate strands of DNA for the newly introduced DNA of GMOs.…

    • 8881 Words
    • 29 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ninety percent of GMO crops are designed to be Roundup ready. What that means is farmers can spray Roundup weed killer DIRECTLY onto crops that will be turned into the food that you and your family eat. That’s right. These crops that are turned into food that finds its way to your dinner table, have been genetically modified so that they can be sprayed directly with Roundup poison and survive. The poison is absorbed internally into every cell of the plant. It is then harvested, processed into food, and you eat it. So in other words, you are eating the poisoned plants that have been designed to survive being poisoned. Think about that. Does this sound like a good idea to you?…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Gmo Lab Report

    • 1298 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Genetically modified food is a popular subject among scientists, as it has been researched quite often. A study was done in the Czech Republic over a course of five years (2002- 2007) to test many foods, such as tomatoes and rice, for approved and unapproved Genetically Modified Organisms. Similar to the experiment conducted in the botany lab, the scientists involved in this study used a Polymerase Chain Reaction, or PCR, method to determine their results (Kyrova, Ostry, Laichmannova, Ruprich, 2010). Enrico Dainese and his partners did another similar study, on soybeans specifically. Like our experiment conducted on the cornbread mix, Dainese and his colleagues followed their PCR results with an Agarose Gel Electrophoresis (Dainese, Angelucci, De Santis, Maccarrone and Cozzani, 2004). An additional experiment closely related to the one performed by my partners and I is a study done in Brazil to better detect for GMO within their foods sold in markets a other places (Cardarelli, Branquinho, Ferreria, da Cruz and Gemmule, 2005). These articles show how GMO within foods are present all over the world.…

    • 1298 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)/Genetically Engineered (GE) foods are the result of laboratory processes which artificially insert genes into the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of food crops or animals. There are many arguments both in favor of and against mandatory labeling of GMO/GE foods. Whether or not to require labeling of GMOs or GE foods also involves the debate over the risks and benefits of food crops produced using biotechnology. However, the overarching argument is consumers have a right to know what is in their food, especially concerning products that can cause allergic reactions. According to the Campaign for Healthier Eating in America, Genetically Modified (GM) foods are linked to toxic and allergic reactions, sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals (http://www.responsibletechnology.org). Because there is no scientific evidence that GMO/GE foods do or do not cause health issues in humans (because there have been no long-term studies), consumers may or may not be being harmed by GMOs. However, the safety of GMOs has been questioned by other countries. In fact, they are banned by food manufacturers in Europe and other countries, but, present in the majority of meats, produce, diary and processed foods in the United States (US). Many consumers in the US have no knowledge that they are consuming GMOs. If they did, it is now known if, similar to Europe, many would prefer to not consume GMO/GE foods. However, without proper labeling, the big issue of concern is, they do not know how to avoid them if they wanted to.…

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A genetically modified food or GM food product is defined as “meat and edible plants modified through genetic engineering” (Genetically Modified (GM) Foods, 2015). Furthermore, human beings have engaged in the process of genetically modifying plants and animals, with selective breeding practices within identical species, “since the beginning of civilization” (Genetically Modified (GM) Foods, 2015). However, current methods of genetic modification can cross species boundaries, which require suppressive techniques to ensure the foreign genes are accepted by the target plant or animal (Genetically Modified (GM) Foods, 2015). Indeed, this process has led to significant debates regarding the safety of the products that contain GM ingredients and whether these products should be clearly labeled to assist consumers in making an informed choice.…

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever heard about the term of genetically-modified foods (GM foods)? Or have you ever seen this kind of foods, like GM tomatoes, in the market? GM foods are the foods that contain the genes transferred from other plant or non-plant organisms. It might be the most controversial topic in the world now. In the article “The False Promise of GMOs”, Joe Pedretti wrote about the argument about the GM foods.…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Genetic Modification (GM) or Genetic Engineering (GE) is the process of manipulating genomes from an organism, such as plants and animals, to another using the techniques of biotechnology. Genetic modified foods are created from the procedures of genetic engineering and play an important role in the society’s lifestyle. GM foods can be both beneficial and disadvantageous to the society and environment. It can be advantageous as it can improve agricultural production, help improve nutrition in the body and also contribute to medical research. However it can also be disadvantageous as it may harm organisms in the environment, be a factor of human illnesses and its cost inefficiency.…

    • 852 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How would you feel if I told you that the food you're eating was made in a science lab? Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are the outcome of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially manipulated into the genes of an uncorrelated plant or animal. Crops are often genetically modified to be resistant to pesticides so farmers would be able to spray them without harming the crop itself. However, there are many consequences regarding consumers’ health and environmental problems. Many people question the safety of consuming genetically modified organisms. Companies should acknowledge that their product is genetically modified by placing a label on the product because customers have a right to know. Furthermore, there are several serious health complications that may rise to the consumer. And finally, genetically modifying organisms should be limited by being placed in a controlled environment to prevent contamination with other species because it can be harmful to the environment in several ways.…

    • 941 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Anti-GMO Movement

    • 1519 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Genetically Modified Organisms, also known as GMOs, are “living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering,” (The Non-GMO Project). While genetic engineering has the capability of being beneficial to our society, The Non-GMO Project argues that it “creates unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods,” (The Non-GMO Project). GMOs are very prevalent in our contemporary food industry; The Non-GMO Project website states that “in the U.S., GMOs are in as much as 80% of conventional processed food,” (The Non-GMO Project). New traits are introduced to…

    • 1519 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    About a year ago, I remember shouting at my husband Henry trying to convince him the difference between GM foods and organic foods. ”No! You just don’t get the concept of GMOS”, I yelled. It was a nice Sunday afternoon, when I and Henry had this big argument on GMO’s, which later on continued the whole day right from the grocery store to the dinner table.…

    • 278 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Controversies Of Gmos

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A 2003 poll showed that 92 percent of Americans favor labeling genetically Engineered (GE) food. Why would this food need labeled? Because it was created by transporting a gene from one organism to another, therefore making it a new organism. This action is done in animals and plants alike. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are organisms whose genomes have been altered to favor certain characteristics (Diaz). For many years there has been breeding done in plants so as to have the desired characteristics, such as juicier tomatoes. The United States government does not see GMOs differently from breeding. GMOs, though, are formed by scientific procedures like cloning and Recombinant DNA technology. A primary reason…

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    GMOs: What's the Big Deal?

    • 2868 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Gillam, Carey. "Pesticide Use Ramping up as GMO Crop Technology Backfires: Study." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 1 Oct. 2012. Web. 7 May 2013.…

    • 2868 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Monsanto Research Paper

    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Genetically modified organisms, otherwise known as GMOs, are engineered by humans to enhance plants by introducing DNA from different organisms into other plants (Latham). Scientists originally designed GMOs to help combat world hunger and make the world a healthier place. Nevertheless, the opposite has occurred. GMOs have contributed to an increase in allergies, diseases, and uncontrollable side effects, as well as making the environment unsafe for humans, animals, and the agriculture industry.…

    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Genetically engineered crops are still a very unknown and even in some cases unheard of subject to people globally. This technology, even being such and unknown subject, has quickly and only gaining speed overruns our diets by stating with our most consumed food crops. Genetic material from one organism is inserted in the genetic code of another and by doing this biotechnologist have created vast amounts of different genetically engineered organisms. Organisms such as tomatoes with flounder genes, fish with growth genes, pigs with human growth genes, along with thousands of other plants, animals and insects.…

    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever thought about what the food you’re about to put in your mouth has been through before your hands got on it? Or, have you thought about what could happen, good or bad, once you do eat it? The Webster’s definition of “GMO” states “A genetically modified organism (GMO) or genetically engineered organism (GEO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques.” The simple version of that definition is basically that people, for whatever reason, decided to modify crops or organisms to fit certain qualifications and characteristics of their choosing. The gene introduced into the organism is exaggerated to fit the desire of the creator. For example, the most commonly genetically modified crops…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays