Pang Kar Min TA04
While researching,
(http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php%20)
environmental organizations and public groups are protesting strongly against GM food.
there's alot of issues on people against GM food and for GM food.
To debate among the pros and cons is really to difficult to decide whether its good to go for GM food or not.
Since population is growing abundantly now, isn't it good enough that GM is "curing" hunger.
people go against GM food due to environment factor, but then come to think again, can the world's environment be saved if we totally banned GM food? and what about the large population's hunger and the malnutrition problem faced? If people are so against GM food and wanting to stop it..but those people who go againsr it can they find alternatives way to 'cure' these hunger and malnutrition in time? is there sufficient? I think at this point of time we can only have both GM food and organic food's existence but we have no say to totally go against it or totally stop the manufacturing of GM food.
all we can do is to label and if people who are against can go alll the way for organic food.
however, there should be great demand in safety caution on GM food to reduce unintended harm to human health.
Wednesday, 29 June 2011
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Even animals can are genetically modified for humans.
In order to produce a better nutritive milk, Scientist have induced human genes to around 300 cows.
Thus by doing so, cows are producing a so called " human milk" which helps to boost the immune system of a human child, or maybe the calf too.
It was argued it is not dangerous if done correctly, afterall, why would they induce genes that will harm the food source in which we consumes. Although many people are resistance to GM food, like ethical issue, or afraid of side-effects, these modified food can proven to be useful once proven to be safe, but it usually takes 10-20 years of experiment, even on humans, to see the side-effects as all these are accumulated in small amount.
However when consumed in small amount, won't it be passed out of the body if the body does not recognise it as a source of energy or nutrients?? if it recognise it as a source of nutrients or energy, wont it be the same, being absorbed normally? Having said that, unless it is in microbial secretion, may cause allergic reactions or hazards which is not yet discovered as things mutates over generation.
Reference Richard gray, science correspondent, retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/geneticmodification/8423536/Genetically-modified-cows-produce-human-milk.html on 28th june 2011.
By Quan Jin
Thus by doing so, cows are producing a so called " human milk" which helps to boost the immune system of a human child, or maybe the calf too.
It was argued it is not dangerous if done correctly, afterall, why would they induce genes that will harm the food source in which we consumes. Although many people are resistance to GM food, like ethical issue, or afraid of side-effects, these modified food can proven to be useful once proven to be safe, but it usually takes 10-20 years of experiment, even on humans, to see the side-effects as all these are accumulated in small amount.
However when consumed in small amount, won't it be passed out of the body if the body does not recognise it as a source of energy or nutrients?? if it recognise it as a source of nutrients or energy, wont it be the same, being absorbed normally? Having said that, unless it is in microbial secretion, may cause allergic reactions or hazards which is not yet discovered as things mutates over generation.
Reference Richard gray, science correspondent, retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/geneticmodification/8423536/Genetically-modified-cows-produce-human-milk.html on 28th june 2011.
By Quan Jin
Monday, 27 June 2011
Labelling of GM food . :)
As I was reading a post on the labelling of GM food posted by Fang Min and found it very interested and decided to research a little more about it.
As we all know that GM food have been incoroperated in our lives in such a wide area, we might be eating GM food daily without ourselves knowing as many GM food are not stated on their labelling. In different countries, there are different standards set in regards with the labelling of GM food.
Firstly, there are two diffeent types of labelling; voluntary labelling and mantory labelling(yes just like what we have for the labbeling of food packaging in singapore. :) ) of course many health organisations wishes that GM food would be labelled on food packaging in a mantory manner so as to the consumers know what they are eating but I believe this would result in extra cost for the company but if it is voluntery labelling, many companies would not even care to do any labelling for GM food.
Below is a list of how are the labelling system for GM food is like in different countries.
United States
Compulsary to label that it is GM food only when the food is very different in terms of nutritional values, composition and also the allergies present in them. If it does not fall under any of the stated terms, then the labelling is voluntary.
Countries from the European Union
All GM food has to be labelled since November 2003. In addition of that, processed food that contains more than 0.9% GM food has to be labelled too.
Australia and New zealand
All GM food that has be produced or imported must be labelled.
Japan
All GM food must be labelled. If in terms of processed food, the Gm food has to be labelled if the total weight of GM food used is more than 5% or the total weight.
Korea
GM food containing more than 3%GM materials have to be labelled. Processed food which contain any of the GM food containing more than 3%GM materials as the main 5 ingredients has to be labelled too.
China
All GM food should be properly labelled.
Reference
Centre for Food Safety, (2011). International development in labelling of GM foods. Retrieved on June 27,2011 from http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_gmf/programme_gmf_gi_info4.html
Chuiying (Yvonne)
As we all know that GM food have been incoroperated in our lives in such a wide area, we might be eating GM food daily without ourselves knowing as many GM food are not stated on their labelling. In different countries, there are different standards set in regards with the labelling of GM food.
Firstly, there are two diffeent types of labelling; voluntary labelling and mantory labelling(yes just like what we have for the labbeling of food packaging in singapore. :) ) of course many health organisations wishes that GM food would be labelled on food packaging in a mantory manner so as to the consumers know what they are eating but I believe this would result in extra cost for the company but if it is voluntery labelling, many companies would not even care to do any labelling for GM food.
Below is a list of how are the labelling system for GM food is like in different countries.
United States
Compulsary to label that it is GM food only when the food is very different in terms of nutritional values, composition and also the allergies present in them. If it does not fall under any of the stated terms, then the labelling is voluntary.
Countries from the European Union
All GM food has to be labelled since November 2003. In addition of that, processed food that contains more than 0.9% GM food has to be labelled too.
Australia and New zealand
All GM food that has be produced or imported must be labelled.
Japan
All GM food must be labelled. If in terms of processed food, the Gm food has to be labelled if the total weight of GM food used is more than 5% or the total weight.
Korea
GM food containing more than 3%GM materials have to be labelled. Processed food which contain any of the GM food containing more than 3%GM materials as the main 5 ingredients has to be labelled too.
China
All GM food should be properly labelled.
Reference
Centre for Food Safety, (2011). International development in labelling of GM foods. Retrieved on June 27,2011 from http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_gmf/programme_gmf_gi_info4.html
Chuiying (Yvonne)
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Contradiction of the benefits? by Ain
In contrary to what I've researched on earlier, GM crops may not actually have the benefits stated from my previous post. An article released on January 2006 by Friends of the Earth International showed to be otherwise.
GM crops are said to be the solution of hunger and poverty, the crops can be grown in alrge quantities in a smaller time frame, thus being able to meet the world's demands. However, the article stated that GM crops are used for animal feeds and not for food. The GM crops grown at developing countries are meant for 'export cash crops', which means crops that are grown for profit, just for exportation. In an example shown in the article, in Argentina only 2% of the GM soy grown is for the local usage.
GM crops are thought to be environmentally friendly, due to the decreased usage of pesticides. However, Monsanto's Roundup Ready soybeans have caused the increase of the usage of pesticides to 55 million kilogram.
GM crops are assumed to be cheaper as it is said to lower production costs. But it has been revealed that the GM crops are not cheaper, not better in quality and apparently, do not priovide any benefits to consumers. Only two modifications are grown commercially, which is herbicide tolerance and insect resistance.
It was said that by growing GM crops, the farmers would gain mutiple profits and be able to own luxurious items, but, developing countries such as India and Indonesia, where GM crops are grown, have encountered problems with Monsanto's Gm crops, and are leaving the farmers with debts. However, Monsanto continues to introduce aggresive royalty initiatives in South America to gain more profits.
Reference:
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefing_notes/monsanto_key_facts.pdf
GM crops are said to be the solution of hunger and poverty, the crops can be grown in alrge quantities in a smaller time frame, thus being able to meet the world's demands. However, the article stated that GM crops are used for animal feeds and not for food. The GM crops grown at developing countries are meant for 'export cash crops', which means crops that are grown for profit, just for exportation. In an example shown in the article, in Argentina only 2% of the GM soy grown is for the local usage.
GM crops are thought to be environmentally friendly, due to the decreased usage of pesticides. However, Monsanto's Roundup Ready soybeans have caused the increase of the usage of pesticides to 55 million kilogram.
GM crops are assumed to be cheaper as it is said to lower production costs. But it has been revealed that the GM crops are not cheaper, not better in quality and apparently, do not priovide any benefits to consumers. Only two modifications are grown commercially, which is herbicide tolerance and insect resistance.
It was said that by growing GM crops, the farmers would gain mutiple profits and be able to own luxurious items, but, developing countries such as India and Indonesia, where GM crops are grown, have encountered problems with Monsanto's Gm crops, and are leaving the farmers with debts. However, Monsanto continues to introduce aggresive royalty initiatives in South America to gain more profits.
Reference:
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefing_notes/monsanto_key_facts.pdf
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Benefits of GM crops - 'Ain
Hey guys, I've been doing the research on the benefits of GM foods and it was stated that growing GM crops would produce large amounts of profits, thus allowing farmers to be able to own luxurious items that they couldn't afford before. The reason why GM crops are said to be economically viable is due to the fact that they are pest resistant, herbicide tolerant, disease resistant, cold tolerant and drought/salinity tolerant.
Non-GM crops are commonly infected by pests, thus resulting in crops losses and financial loss for the farmers. By cultivating GM crops that are resistant to pests, the cost of bringing crops to the market would decrease, and farmers would not have to splurge on pesticides, which may in return cause health hazards and harm to the environment.
Besides that, weeds are often seen growing amongst crops, feeding on the crops nutrients from the soil. Also, weeds have a faster growth rate than most crops, and would block the sunlight from the crops when they have grown taller than the crops. Farmers would then have to use herbicide to destroy the weeds. At the same time, the farmers have to be aware that the herbicides would not harm the crops and the environment. By having crops that are resistant to herbicides, the usage of herbicides to destroy the weeds would be reduced greatly, thus preventing anymore damage done to the environment and reducing production costs.
Crops are prone to be infected by parasities, fungi, viruses and bacteria, causing plant diseases. This would cause crop losses and financial loss to the farmers. Crops that are gentically engineered to to be resistant to the diseases would reduce the production costs.
The cold, drought or high salt content can affect the growth of crops. For example, frost can destroy seedlings. By having crops that are tolerant of the cold, they will be able to grow throughout the cold season and would ensure a stable income for the farmers. The amount of land suitable for growing crops is diminishing, and farmers have limited land to grow their crops, unabling them to meet the population's demands. By cultivating crops that can withstand drought and high salt content in the soil, farmers would be able to grow their crops on lands that were previously designated as unsuitable for farming.
To add on, GM crops play a part in pharmaceuticals too. Medicines and vaccines are expensive to reproduce and may need special storage conditions that are not available in developing countries. Researchers are working on to create edible vaccines and medicines in vegetables, such as tomatoes. These edible vaccines would be easier to be transported, stored and administered than the injectable vaccines.
Lastly, GM crops are said to be more nutritious, thus being able to prevent malnutrition in developing countries. For example, rice does not contain the adequate amount of nutrients to prevent malnutrition. If the rice is genetically modified to contain all the necessary nutrients, the chances of having malnutrition of these nutrients would reduce greatly.
References:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2005/pr29/en/index.html
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php
Non-GM crops are commonly infected by pests, thus resulting in crops losses and financial loss for the farmers. By cultivating GM crops that are resistant to pests, the cost of bringing crops to the market would decrease, and farmers would not have to splurge on pesticides, which may in return cause health hazards and harm to the environment.
Besides that, weeds are often seen growing amongst crops, feeding on the crops nutrients from the soil. Also, weeds have a faster growth rate than most crops, and would block the sunlight from the crops when they have grown taller than the crops. Farmers would then have to use herbicide to destroy the weeds. At the same time, the farmers have to be aware that the herbicides would not harm the crops and the environment. By having crops that are resistant to herbicides, the usage of herbicides to destroy the weeds would be reduced greatly, thus preventing anymore damage done to the environment and reducing production costs.
Crops are prone to be infected by parasities, fungi, viruses and bacteria, causing plant diseases. This would cause crop losses and financial loss to the farmers. Crops that are gentically engineered to to be resistant to the diseases would reduce the production costs.
The cold, drought or high salt content can affect the growth of crops. For example, frost can destroy seedlings. By having crops that are tolerant of the cold, they will be able to grow throughout the cold season and would ensure a stable income for the farmers. The amount of land suitable for growing crops is diminishing, and farmers have limited land to grow their crops, unabling them to meet the population's demands. By cultivating crops that can withstand drought and high salt content in the soil, farmers would be able to grow their crops on lands that were previously designated as unsuitable for farming.
To add on, GM crops play a part in pharmaceuticals too. Medicines and vaccines are expensive to reproduce and may need special storage conditions that are not available in developing countries. Researchers are working on to create edible vaccines and medicines in vegetables, such as tomatoes. These edible vaccines would be easier to be transported, stored and administered than the injectable vaccines.
Lastly, GM crops are said to be more nutritious, thus being able to prevent malnutrition in developing countries. For example, rice does not contain the adequate amount of nutrients to prevent malnutrition. If the rice is genetically modified to contain all the necessary nutrients, the chances of having malnutrition of these nutrients would reduce greatly.
References:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2005/pr29/en/index.html
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
which should we label? Organic or GM???
Just a thought when i was reading an article about labeling GM food.
In the past, the food we ate are mostly organic, however, as the year passes by, in order to have a higher profit within a shorter time, genetic engineering was introduced shortly after pesticides was being used. Now, the problem is that these genetically modified food, also known as GM food, are not being labelled as there is no strict regulations or requirements. However, organic food are needed to be labelled.
Why couldn't it be the other way round instead? Or, perhaps both?
Some religious may need to be aware of GM food as some may contain traces of certain animal's gene which they could not consume. Without the labeling, the different religious may consume the food without knowing what is in the food. If the food was being labelled with a label saying GM food or traces of animal genes found, wouldn't it be much better? The different religious and vegetarians would have a better idea of what are the types of food they are buying and could avoid the food they need to avoid.
-FM
In the past, the food we ate are mostly organic, however, as the year passes by, in order to have a higher profit within a shorter time, genetic engineering was introduced shortly after pesticides was being used. Now, the problem is that these genetically modified food, also known as GM food, are not being labelled as there is no strict regulations or requirements. However, organic food are needed to be labelled.
Why couldn't it be the other way round instead? Or, perhaps both?
Some religious may need to be aware of GM food as some may contain traces of certain animal's gene which they could not consume. Without the labeling, the different religious may consume the food without knowing what is in the food. If the food was being labelled with a label saying GM food or traces of animal genes found, wouldn't it be much better? The different religious and vegetarians would have a better idea of what are the types of food they are buying and could avoid the food they need to avoid.
-FM
Sunday, 19 June 2011
RE: GM corn a hazard or not? -Maryann Rolands
I thought this was an interesting article to write about! Well, there's a scientist in America who is skeptical about GM corn. Since 2/3 of the crops grown in the US is gentically modified and they one of the largest produces of GM corn in the world. Morever, Corn has become an essential food item to many therefore as USUAL the US will take the opportunity to make money out of it. well guess what? here are the loopholes in the beautiful painted story. In 2009, Germany banned this GM maize plant MON810 and so did Austria, hungary,greece,luxembourg and france.As of recently in 2011, bulgaria also banned this maize plant. Everyone was worried as to what is the issue with this corn and why was there no research being revealed about it.It was found out that it causes serious damage to animals and it may also destroy the endangered plant and insect species. Have you heard of genetic pollution? well this article also explains about natural winds and storms blowing the seeds of these GM plants onto other crops and causing more chaos to the current situation! As my previous blog post mentioned that there is a need for GM foods, I also feel that further research should be carried out on this field, some research have already shown that some GM foods can cause damage to the liver and kidneys. Unless the side effects takes a 100 years before it occurs(we prob wont live that long to feel it), scientists should be sure of what they are doing and what is being approved for consumption.
What do you guys think about GM foods in itself? Do you think that it is a possible hazard or not?
References
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/09/gm-corn-poses-health-hazard.aspx
http://naturalsociety.com/study-proves-three-monsanto-gm-corn-varieties-pose-health-hazard/
http://www.digitaljournal.com/img/8/3/6/0/2/7/i/5/2/0/o/corn_diversity.jpg
What do you guys think about GM foods in itself? Do you think that it is a possible hazard or not?
References
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/09/gm-corn-poses-health-hazard.aspx
http://naturalsociety.com/study-proves-three-monsanto-gm-corn-varieties-pose-health-hazard/
http://www.digitaljournal.com/img/8/3/6/0/2/7/i/5/2/0/o/corn_diversity.jpg
Sunday, 5 June 2011
E.Coli Outbreak in Germany-Maryann Rolands
I know you guys are all busy with SIP but I cant help but write about the latest food safety issue that has plagued Germany with a death toll of 22. Yes, the main culprit is the rare strain of toxic E.coli bacteria. The food it was found in was unknown to everyone until yesterday. It was found in beansprouts, Germans were told to completely stop consumption of beansprouts and to be extra careful to stop the consumption of tomatoes,cucumbers and lettuce until it has been confirmed by the labs. A few days ago, I read the news in Singapore that you were warned not to consume these vegetables raw, well guess what? I took that literally and totally stopped my consumption of raw vegetables until this issue simmers down. I trust Singapore's food safety system therefore I followed the warning accordingly. Since I am talking about this unfortunate issue, I wish to bring up that days ago when I was buying Bubble tea at a taiwanese stall, an Australian Asian came up to me and told me to make this my last tea consumption at that stall. I was surprised! Than he reminded me of the Jin guo wan and sunlight brand fruit juice concentrates containing high amounts of DEHP which is a type of toxic plasticiser. Japan"s green tea is also banned in Singapore due to radioactive substance contamination. I was so afraid because i was told of dodgy systems overseas, I seriously wish I were home where I am sure of what I am consuming. As for now, I got to leave things be and hope everything I am consuming has been checked. Hope you guys are extra careful with what you consume and will realise that food scares out of Singapore is uncontrollable sometimes, we should appreciate the AVA for their vigilance in continueing to protect the population by carrying out stringent checks.
Let me know what you think:)
References
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/world/europe/06germany.html
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1132965/1/.html
Let me know what you think:)
References
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/world/europe/06germany.html
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1132965/1/.html
GM medicine
-Jiamin
I have never came across to realise that actually medicine is genetically engineered.
Because medicine have simple genetics therefore, they are bacteria are the first to be modified.
First experiment was done in 1978 by where human insulin genes in insert into E.Coli to produce synthetic insulin.
and also, I just found out combines strawberries,
I have never came across to realise that actually medicine is genetically engineered.
Because medicine have simple genetics therefore, they are bacteria are the first to be modified.
First experiment was done in 1978 by where human insulin genes in insert into E.Coli to produce synthetic insulin.
and also, I just found out combines strawberries,
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
hey guys! since you guys are sharing so much regarding about your SIP stuffs, guess i should not be too stingy with mine too! Just the other day i was in the lab performing carbohydrate analysis, i realized that alpha-amylase is actually an endoenzyme that cleaves both amylose and amylopectin molecules internally and it acts on the (1-> 4) linkages of the starch and attacks the uncooked and undamaged starch granules.
In addition, in order to get the analysis started, we must first ensure that all the equipment are in place and that the sample that we are working on retains as much moisture as possible in order to ensure the results to be as close as the outside analysis as possible. In order to make the sample dry, we put the sample into a vacuum oven overnight. however, i cant take down the picture cause im not too sure if it will affect TP. after which, we grind the sample into less than 50mm, after which, we put the sample into a duran bottle together with a buffer by the name of MES-TRIS. during this step, the measurement of the sample must be very accurate. after this step, we added in a magnetic stirrer and place it on a magnetic plate and put in 50 microlitre of the alpha amylase that i have mentioned earlier. after which, we placed all the bottles in to a water bath at 80 degrees with an incubation with continuous agitation. after which, we will cool the bottles by replacing the hot water in the water bath to cool water at about 60 degree before adding 100 microlitre of protease. after adding the protease, the bottles are being placed in the water bath to incubate for 30 minutes with continuous agitation.
the next step will be the pH adjustment. as we take the samples out, we added in 5mL of 3M acetic acid into the bottles one at a time to prevent evaporation loss. be adding drop by drop, all the results are being very precise. if the pH is more than 8.0, we would have to do the entire experiment aain. immediately, we added 200 microlitre of amyloglucosidase solution and incubate it again for 30 minutes at 60 degrees with continuous agitation. after which, we transferred the sample into a cuvette that is later being put into a UV spectrophotometer for checking for the absorbance of the product. after the first test, solution A1 is added and we waited for awhile before the second reading. after the second reading, solution A2 was added and we waited for awhile before the readings start. lastly, we put in solution A3 and waited for awhile before the last reading was being read.
this was what i have done in the past week(: hope you guys have a better understanding at carbohydrate analysis(:
-FM(:
In addition, in order to get the analysis started, we must first ensure that all the equipment are in place and that the sample that we are working on retains as much moisture as possible in order to ensure the results to be as close as the outside analysis as possible. In order to make the sample dry, we put the sample into a vacuum oven overnight. however, i cant take down the picture cause im not too sure if it will affect TP. after which, we grind the sample into less than 50mm, after which, we put the sample into a duran bottle together with a buffer by the name of MES-TRIS. during this step, the measurement of the sample must be very accurate. after this step, we added in a magnetic stirrer and place it on a magnetic plate and put in 50 microlitre of the alpha amylase that i have mentioned earlier. after which, we placed all the bottles in to a water bath at 80 degrees with an incubation with continuous agitation. after which, we will cool the bottles by replacing the hot water in the water bath to cool water at about 60 degree before adding 100 microlitre of protease. after adding the protease, the bottles are being placed in the water bath to incubate for 30 minutes with continuous agitation.
the next step will be the pH adjustment. as we take the samples out, we added in 5mL of 3M acetic acid into the bottles one at a time to prevent evaporation loss. be adding drop by drop, all the results are being very precise. if the pH is more than 8.0, we would have to do the entire experiment aain. immediately, we added 200 microlitre of amyloglucosidase solution and incubate it again for 30 minutes at 60 degrees with continuous agitation. after which, we transferred the sample into a cuvette that is later being put into a UV spectrophotometer for checking for the absorbance of the product. after the first test, solution A1 is added and we waited for awhile before the second reading. after the second reading, solution A2 was added and we waited for awhile before the readings start. lastly, we put in solution A3 and waited for awhile before the last reading was being read.
this was what i have done in the past week(: hope you guys have a better understanding at carbohydrate analysis(:
-FM(:
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