Soybean oil
Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs have long had an unfortunate reputation. Viewed on par with crops that make use of pesticides and other harmful chemicals, and often thought to be unhealthy. Organic farmers and magazines scorn their use and consumers think twice before purchasing products that make use of them. However, Monsanto, an extremely large and influential agriculture company that is similarly often cast in a negative light, has teamed up with DuPont Pioneer to revamp the genetic makeup of the soybean to create a bean that produces oil completely free of trans fats. It’s new fat composition is similar to that of olive oil, and it can potentially be produced on a larger scale and cheaper than it’s olive counterpart. Companies believe that this new innovation will help to improve the public image of GMOs and other biotech. As most endeavors up to this point have focused on resistance to weeds and parasites, rather than health and taste, it has been easy for consumers to create a negative view of GMOs, but this new soybean, more consumer oriented, might help to sway that view.
The specific genetic modifications to the oil are the alteration of a gene that converts oleic fatty acids into linoleic acid. This conversion causes soybean oil to have an extremely short shelf life. The problem used to be solved by treating the oil with hydrogen gas, but this caused it to become saturated. With the gene silenced, there is no need for the hydrogen treatment, and the oil can remain unsaturated and free of trans-fats.
biolabski
While you discuss harmful effects of GMOs on human health, introducing them into the market can also be harmful to the economy. It is a long and lengthy process. Thus, the companies that produce GMOs want to profit, and many have patented their plants. This yields concerns, for people don’t want to infringe upon patent rights. This could raise price of seeds so that small farmers and farmers in poor countries won’t afford seeds for GMO crops. To read more about this, click here:
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php