Genetically Modified and Irradiated Food: Controversial Issues: Facts versus Perceptions

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Genetically Modified and Irradiated Food: Controversial Issues: Facts versus Perceptions
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Contributors
Introduction
	References
Part 1: Genetically modified food
1. Why is genetic modification of interest or why can it be useful?
	Concluding remarks
	References
	Further reading
2. A perspective on the evolution of genetic manipulation of biological materials, both plant and animal
	Religious viewpoints
	References
3. How are genes modified? Crossbreeding, mutagenesis, and CRISPR-Cas9
	Introduction
	The microbial origin of CRISPR-Cas9
	Programmable DNA cleavage
	Specificity
	Repairing the cut
	Plant transformation
	Conclusion
	References
4. Can genetic modification go wrong, and what if it does?
	Images of genetic modification going wrong
	Modification and food safety
	Environmental concerns
	Summary
	References
5. GM food and human health
	Introduction
	Evidence on safety
	GM foods likely to be eaten directly by consumers
		Fruits and vegetables
	Cereal crops
	Oilseed crops
	Allergenicity and toxicity
	Fate of GM proteins in the gastrointestinal tract and absorption into bodily tissues
	Chemical residues
	Microorganisms
	GM animals
		Foods derived from animals fed diets containing GM feedstuffs
	Consensus on safety
	Health benefits of GM crops
	Addressing consumer concerns
	Conclusions
	References
	Further reading
Case studies
6.1. Genetically modified (GM) food in South Africa
	Contextualizing the two-decades-old debate on GM foods
	Genetically modified organism science
		Genetics and genetic modification
		Why do we want to use GM technology?
	Genetically modified organism regulation and sustainable use in South Africa
		Why are genetically modified organisms regulated?
		How are genetically modified organisms regulated in South Africa?
		The top five facts about South Africa\'s regulatory framework for genetically modified organisms
	Genetically modified organism sustainability
		Sustainability as the minimum standard for genetically modified organism use
		Risk in context
		Risk analysis as basis for sound decision-making
		Local and international experience with genetically modified organism use
		The local perspective
		The international perspective
	Conclusion
	References
	Further reading
6.2. Genetically modified bananas for communities of the great lakes region of Africa
	Introduction
	Using biotechnology for development of banana with pest and disease resistance
	Using biotechnology to address human nutritional deficiencies
	The genetically modified development pipeline
	Genes and their safety
	Biodiversity and environmental safety
	No unintended effects on nontarget organisms
	Economics and trade implications
	Partnerships, ownership, patents, and access
	Regulatory aspects
	Conclusion
	References
6.3. Trends in genetically modified crops development in Nigeria: issues and challenges
	Introduction
	Biotechnology, genetic engineering, and genetically modified foods
	Mutation breeding
	Nigeria as a case study
	Status of the genetically modified foods in Nigeria
	Genetic modification of crops by induced mutation
	Issues and challenges of GMFs in Nigeria
		Economic and ethics
		Health and environmental safety concerns
		The politics of GMOs/GMFs in Nigeria
	Intervention and outlook
	Conclusion
	References
6.4. GMOs in Argentina
	Introduction
		The Argentine case
			The phase of adoption. Science-based regulatory framework
			The trade-dependent phase. Not science-based requirements enter in the regulations
			A University–Industry collaboration emerges
			Revisiting the regulatory framework
		The genetically modified organisms debate
			The complexity
			Pseudoscience and false science and how the peer-review system works
				a. Bt corn is harmful to monarch butterfly
				a. Bt corn is harmful to monarch butterfly
				b. Antibiotic resistance genes inserted in GM plants can be acquired by bacterial pathogens through the “horizontal gene tr ...
				b. Antibiotic resistance genes inserted in GM plants can be acquired by bacterial pathogens through the “horizontal gene tr ...
				c. Consumption of GMO-derived food will cause allergy
				c. Consumption of GMO-derived food will cause allergy
				d. Long-term effects I (the role of risk assessment)
				d. Long-term effects I (the role of risk assessment)
				Long-term effects II (biodiversity)
				Long-term effects II (biodiversity)
			Scientific literacy is not enough. Natural science is not the only issue
		Lessons learned
			On regulations
			On the genetically modified organism debate
	References
6.5. Controversial issues: Brazil case studies
	Introduction
	Anatomy of the controversy
		Development of Brazilian legislation and the controversy
		Research impact on GM development in Brazil: private and public contributions
		Public perception
		Public perception and the GM bean case study
		Controversy on commercialization of GM bean
	Final remarks
	References
7. GM crops and conventional or organic agriculture coexistence in EU regulation
	From coexistence to GM definition
	From GM crops regulation to coexistence measures
	Another conception for crops coexistence: local governance
	The end of the debate on coexistence?
	References
8. The impact of GM crops on agriculture
	Introduction
	The economic impact of GM crops and their traits for farmers and consumers
	Impact of GM crops on farming practice
	Impact of GM varieties on crop genetic diversity
	Impact on biodiversity of noncrop species
	Impact of GMs on food production, marketing, and distribution of agricultural products
	Impact of GMs in Europe, a special case
	Concluding comments
	Prospects: the impact of gene editing
	References
Part 2: Irradiated food
9. What is the benefit of irradiation compared to other methods of food preservation?
	Introduction
	Pasteurization and sterilization
		Thermal
		Nonthermal
		Chemical
		Irradiation
	Insect disinfestation
		Thermal
		Nonthermal
		Chemical
		Irradiation
	Inhibition of sprouting
		Chemical
		Irradiation
	Conclusion
	References
10. Irradiation kills microbes: can it do anything harmful to the food?
	Introduction
	Current status of food irradiation in the world
	Irradiation for food safety and quality
	Future of food irradiation
	Conclusions
	References
11. Can irradiated food have an influence on people\'s health?
	Introduction
	History of concerns about food irradiation
	Safety issues of food irradiation technologies
	Do current regulations guarantee our safety?
	How did fear of radiation affect public perception about food irradiation?
	Why are not irradiated foods a real health concern?
	Summary
	References
	Further reading
12. Safety of irradiated food
	Background
	History of food irradiation
	Present situation
	Safety of food irradiation
	Appropriate irradiation dose
	Attitudes of consumers to irradiated food
	Overall conclusion
	Perspectives
	References
	Further reading
13. Novel processing technologies: facts about irradiation and other technologies
	Introduction
	Resistance to “new” technology
		Risk versus benefits
	Food irradiation
		What is food irradiation?
		Why irradiate food?
		How is food irradiated?
		Safety of irradiated foods
		Labeling of irradiated food
		Consumer acceptance of irradiated food
		Organizations that support irradiation
		Food safety
		Insect control
		Availability and acceptance of irradiated foods
		Resistance to “new” technologies
		Pasteurization
		Antivaccination movement
		Antichlorination movement
		World\'s safest food supply; safe enough?
		Irradiation: a powerful tool to make food safer
		Consumer acceptance of foods that have been irradiated
		Future directions
		Barriers to acceptance
	Conclusions
		Defining moments in food safety
	References
14. Conclusions
	Recommended literature
Index
	A
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	C
	D
	E
	F
	G
	H
	I
	J
	K
	L
	M
	N
	O
	P
	Q
	R
	S
	T
	U
	V
	W
	X
	Z
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