Safety and sensory assessment of genetically engineered nonbrowning potatoes and the usefulness of animal models in the evaluation of next-generation biotech crops

BRIARDO LLORENTE; V. RODRÍGUEZ; G.D. ALONSO; F. CARRARI; M.G. LÓPEZ; H.N. TORRES; M.M. FLAWIÁ; F.F. BRAVO-ALMONACID

Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

Jornada; Nuevas Herramientas Aplicadas a la Evaluación de Bioseguridad de Eventos Transgénicos; 2010

REDBIO Argentina Asociación Civil

Even though genetically engineered crops have been increasingly adopted worldwide since 1996 and promising approaches to improve quality traits in food crops have been extensively reported in the scientific literature, concerns between scientists, consumers and regulatory authorities on the safety of transgenic crops have led to the development of rigorous safety assessment procedures. In this work a comprehensive evaluation of the comparative safety assessment approach of three transgenic nonbrowning potato lines was performed. Transgenic lines were characterized at both the physiological and molecular levels and photosynthetic performance and yield were examined. Analysis of the primary metabolism by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) revealed several non-intended metabolic modifications. However, bioinformatic and in vivo studies demonstrated that transgenic tubers are safe for consumption. Additionally, since sensory analysis studies are critical in the development of quality enhanced crops, and may be an important component in the public acceptance of genetically modified foods, we performed several sensory analysis studies in mice and humans. These experiments showed that nonbrowning potatoes, in addition to their extended shelf life, have a more intense aroma and maintain their odour quality for longer periods of time than WT potatoes.