September 10, 2008
Source:
Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 56 (19), 9206–9214, 2008.
10.1021/jf8010992, American
Chemical Society
Assessment of the nutritional
values of genetically modified wheat, corn, and tomato crops
Eugenia Venneria, Simone Fanasca, Giovanni Monastra, Enrico
Finotti, Roberto Ambra, Elena Azzini, Alessandra Durazzo, Maria
Stella Foddai, and Giuseppe Maiani
Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca per gli Alimenti e la Nutrizione,
00178 Roma, Italy
Received for review April 7, 2008. Revised manuscript received
June 11, 2008. Accepted July 22, 2008.
Abstract:
The genetic modification in
fruit and vegetables could lead to changes in metabolic
pathways and, therefore, to the variation of the molecular
pattern, with particular attention to antioxidant compounds
not well-described in the literature. The aim of the present
study was to compare the quality composition of transgenic
wheat (Triticum durum L.), corn (Zea mays L.), and tomato
(Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.) to the nontransgenic control
with a similar genetic background. In the first experiment,
Ofanto wheat cultivar containing the tobacco rab1 gene and
nontransgenic Ofanto were used. The second experiment
compared two transgenic lines of corn containing Bacillus
thuringiensis “Cry toxin” gene (PR33P67 and Pegaso Bt) to
their nontransgenic forms. The third experiment was
conducted on transgenic tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum
Mill.) containing the Agrobacterium rhizogenes rolD gene and
its nontransgenic control (cv. Tondino). Conventional and
genetically modified crops were compared in terms of fatty
acids content, unsaponifiable fraction of antioxidants,
total phenols, polyphenols, carotenoids, vitamin C, total
antioxidant activity, and mineral composition. No
significant differences were observed for qualitative traits
analyzed in wheat and corn samples. In tomato samples, the
total antioxidant activity (TAA), measured by FRAP assay,
and the naringenin content showed a lower value in
genetically modified organism (GMO) samples (0.35 mmol of
Fe2+ 100 g−1 and 2.82 mg 100 g−1, respectively), in
comparison to its nontransgenic control (0.41 mmol of Fe 2+
100 g−1 and 4.17 mg 100 g−1, respectively). On the basis of
the principle of substantial equivalence, as articulated by
the World Health Organization, the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development, and the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization, these data support the conclusion
that GM events are nutritionally similar to conventional
varieties of wheat, corn, and tomato on the market today.
Full paper avialble:
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/jafcau/2008/56/i19/abs/jf8010992.html
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