Agriculture
As consumers we have been taught to fear GMO's. And though GMO's have shown no harmful health effects, over 60% of Americans choose not to use them because they are "unnatural". Instead, many prefer to buy organic and natural products because they look "safer" than a GMO. Though GMO products may have an unnatural look to them, or may be different from the original crop, they are not harmful products. The idea of GMO's is actually quite genius, a way to produce super crops that can withstand harsh weather, have more flavor, and grow bigger. However, because GMO's are so widely rejected, scientists have now turned to a more effective and natural gene editing tool: CRISPR-CAS 9. Unlike GMO's, CRISPR can produce a fully natural product identical to the original. But similar to what GMO's do, CRISPR produces "super crops" making your food healthier and tastier than the original crop. Crops at your local grocery store such as tomatoes, mushrooms, rice, wheat, and chocolate are CRISPR modified to taste better and last longer. Using CRISPR in our foods will not only create a better looking and tasting food, but can reduce the risks of heart disease and diabetes. Foods such as Canola and soy bean oil have been CRISPR modified to reduce trans fats and create a healthier oil.
How is CRISPR affecting our Food?
Rice
CRISPR allows rice to withstand harsh weather conditions and produce more grain.
Wine
CRISPR works to fight off a grape mildew that is affecting the sugar levels in wine grapes.
Chocolate
CRISPR Boosts the immune system of cacao beans in order to resist the West African disease
Corn
CRISPR allows corn to withstand drought conditions and produces more varieties of corn.
Banana
CRISPR produces a more resilient strain of banana allowing them to fight off a deadly global fungus
Tomatoes
CRISPR enhances thirteen significant flavors in heirloom tomatoes making the tomatoes more flavorful.
Coffee
CRISPR is used to grow decaffeinated beans instead of the traditional method of extracting the caffeine from the beans.
Wheat
CRISPR is used to produce low gluten wheat preventing Celiac Disease (gluten allergy)
More Information
What is a GMO?
The phrase GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. A genetically modified organism is one that contains DNA extracted from another species. Foreign DNA can come from plants, animals, bacterium, and viruses, and are often known as Transgenic Organisms. Newly inserted DNA will code for different types of proteins, thus changing the shape, structure, and functions of an organism. GMOs have heavily influenced our agriculture and because of their success, scientists and farmers have used GMOs over the last 30 years in crops and poultry. Products such as potatoes, canola oil, and soybeans contain GMOs which alter their size, flavor, and allow them to withstand harsh weather conditions. Poultry may also be altered causing animals to grow bigger thus producing more meat. But the process comes at a high cost. Though the GMO process is transformative in the agricultural field, it may take scientist months to modify plant cells and the process is very expensive. In addition, though there is no evidence that suggests GMOs are harmful, consumers nationwide have chosen to avoid GMO products because they are unnatural.
Why Crispr?
Since GMOs are expensive to produce, and widely rejected by consumers, scientists have turned to a new gene-editing tool: CRISPR CAS-9. By using new CRISPR technology to genetically modify agriculture, scientists can obtain desired traits in plants much faster and cheaper than using GMOs or breeding methods. Crispr Cas 9 is inexpensive compared to the GMO process and takes a fraction of the time. What GMOs can do in months Crispr can do in days. CRISPR also pinpoints specific sequences in the genome and can edit DNA with more accuracy than a GMO method. Also, GMOs use foreign DNA, something many consumers have concerns about. Crispr on the other hand does not use foreign DNA, but a small chain of nucleotides carried in the protein complex. Overall, the CRISPR Cas-9 process takes less time, costs less money, and requires less regulation making it a great gene-editing tool in the agricultural industry.