Sweet & Smart: How Crispr Is Making Food Tastier

    Crispr is this powerful gene-editing tool that's helped treat sickle cell disease, and now it's being used to level up our fruits and veggies. Scientists in China have recently used Crispr to make tomatoes that taste 30% sweeter than usual and honestly, I think that's pretty fascinating. Jinzhe Zhang and his colleagues  identified two genes in tomatoes that are responsible for lowering sugar levels as the fruit ripens. By using Crispr to remove parts of those genes, it resulted in tomatoes that were noticeably sweeter - without sacrificing their size. This is very significant considering when tomatoes get to be large they tend to lose their flavor, so accomplishing both size and flavor is impressive. Crispr isn't just being used to sweeten tomatoes- researchers are also exploring ways to make apples and pears sweeter as well.  They've even started conducting experiments to create seedless blackberries and less-bitter mustard greens, which really shows how versatile this tool is. 

    The only downside to genetically edited foods is that none of these foods can't hit the grocery stores until they're approved by the government. It might be a while before we get to try these upgraded fruits and veggies, but it's so interesting and exciting to see the advancements being made in genetically edited foods. I think this kind of innovation could have a huge impact on the agriculture industry by helping farmers grow tastier crops that appeal more to consumers, and possibly even helping crops last longer in the face of extreme climate change. 

Apples. All From the Same Seed?

Apples originally all came from one seed, transplanted across the Silk Road by being tossed out by travelers between China and Europe. Scientist from an article posted in Popular Science believe that any seed could give you any type of apple there is today. The discarded cores cross pollinated with soft and sour crab varieties closer to Asia, while in Europe a new species was created. In 1870 Iowa a random seedling gave a farmer dark red apple which blossomed into the now Red Delicious that was picked for breeding due to having a longer shelf life. Genetic research shows that Granny Smith apples also came from the domestic apple, just a different variation. Honeycrisps were developed at the University Minnesota for a sweeter juicier type of apple. They also developed an apple called MN1627 which was never sold publicly but it had cells twice as large as the Honeycrisp for a crunchier skin. A Cosmic Crisp apple, grown in Washington State on 11.6 million trees will be sold sometime in 2019, which is a mix of sweet and tart.

The scientists believe that every apple comes from one seed. I believe that they all started as one but with all of the genetic mutations that have created all types of apples, I find it hard to believe that if I were to drop any apple seed into the ground that I have the possibility to get any kind. Apples grow everywhere and those conditions also play a role in the type of apple that is grown. 

FDA says Genetically Modified Apples and Potatoes are Safe to Consume

                  Okanagan Specialty Fruits developed the Article apple, and J.R. Simplot Company developed the Innate Potato. Both crops were designed to defy browning when sliced or bruised, and the potato was reduced of its potential cancer-causing chemical when fried. Although the F.D.A. approves of the genetically engineered apples and potatoes to be safe and nutritious in comparison to the non-engineered plant, there are still many consumers and environmental groups that oppose. These groups have warned restaurants and food companies against using engineered crops while other groups think that accepting engineered foods will taint the image of the organically made crops. Mostly all biotech crops go through the F.D.A.’s safety food review even though it is optional. The opposing biotech parties argue that the F.D.A. reviews are not adequate, but the F.D.A. assures that their evaluations are in-depth. The F.D.A. even advises that the biotech companies disclose information to their consumers by labeling. In the meantime, the discussion of what should appear on the labels, and when the labels would be used is in process. Currently, it is suggested that the label should include an appealing description of the trait without the inclusion of the crop being “genetically engineered”. The primary developers believe that when they sell the seed of the biotech potatoes and apples to growers, they are then not responsible for ensuring how the crops or products using the crops would be labeled. 
                  I believe that both the favoring and opposing groups have some valid points. Currently, there are many GMO and GMO containing products in the market. For example high fructose corn syrup and soy beans are typical GMO's where the majority of its crop type is genetically modified. I think that biotech foods are not bad for humans just because they were not naturally formed by nature. The only question I have is that if a fruit does not brown, how does a person know if its still good to eat? Other than that, I believe that non-browning crops have the potential to be a positive thing for society. 

Original link: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/21/business/gene-altered-apples-and-potatoes-are-safe-fda-says.html?ref=science

Additional link: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/11/21/foods-give-up-avoid-eating-gmo/#!fullscreen&slide=1585612

Additional link 2: http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/what-is-gmo/

Gene-Altered Apples and Potatoes Are Safe, F.D.A Says

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration released their safety review of genetically modified apples and potatoes, in which they claimed the crops were as safe and nutritious as the conventional versions. Both the Innate potatoes and Arctic apples have been modified to resist bruising and turning brown, while the potatoes limit production of a possible carcinogen when fried. The Agriculture Department had already approved the crops for commercial planting, as they weren't found to pose any risk to other plants. F.D.A safety review are in fact voluntary, as is some of the potential labeling of GMO's, although the F.D.A did urge the companies that produced the apples and potatoes to consider labeling their crops as resistance to browning and possible decreased carcinogen. Many people and agencies strongly oppose this concept of voluntary labeling, and continue to make a push towards required labeling of GMO's.

This article made me think about the amount of genetically modified crops we really have, and may be unaware of. Genetic engineering of food definitely has its pros and cons, but i do think required labeling of GMO's would be a step in the right direction. Many people are scared of this labeling because it could push some people away who are skeptical of GMO's but I think we have a right to know what we are purchasing.

Main Article- http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/21/business/gene-altered-apples-and-potatoes-are-safe-fda-says.html?ref=science
Second article- http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/21/8270005/fda-genetically-modified-apples-potatoes-safe-gmo

An Apple a Day Gets Approved Any Day

The government has approved the commercial planting of genetically engineered apples that don't brown when sliced or bruised. The developer Okanagan Specialty Fruits, says the non-browning feature will make apples more appealing to consumers and food service companies. However executives in the apple industry worry the biotech apples will face controversy from some consumers along with them loosing exports in countries that do not like genetically modified foods. The Department of Agriculture has considered these issues, however under the law, approval is based on whether a genetically modified crop poses a treat to other plants. The apples do not pose any risk. The apples are genetically engineered to suppress the production of an enzyme that causes browning when the cells in the apple are injured, for example by slicing. But over time they will still rot a turn brown. 

In my opinion, although the browning of apples is not appealing to me in anyway, I'm not a fan of it being genetically altered to prevent it. There are other ways to prevent the browning for a bit more time, for instance, Lemon juice, which is natural. That's just my opinion though, I'm not going to be the guinea pig for an apple.