Food Biotechnology Printer Friendly

We have used biotechnology to manufacture food products for more than 8,000 years. Bread,
alcoholic beverages, vinegar, cheese and yogurt, and many other foods owe their existence to
enzymes found in various microorganisms. Today's biotechnology will continue to affect the food
industry by providing new products, lowering costs and improving the microbial processes on which
food producers have long relied.

Many of these impacts will improve the quality, nutritional value and safety of the crop plants and
animal products that are the basis of the food industry. In addition, biotechnology offers many ways
to improve the processing of those raw materials into final products: natural flavors and colors; new
production aids, such as enzymes and emulsifiers; improved starter cultures; more waste treatment
options; "greener" manufacturing processes; more options for assessing food safety during the
process; and even biodegradable plastic wrap that kills bacteria.

Improving the Raw Materials

The first generation of transgenic crops primarily benefited farmers. Although there are consumer
benefits in growing these crops, the benefits are largely invisible to consumers. For example,
studies have shown that because insect-resistant corn (Bt corn) sustains relatively little insect
damage, fungi and molds cannot infect those plants as easily as non-insect-resistant crops.
Therefore, the level of toxins, such as aflatoxin, produced by these pathogens, some of which are
fatal to livestock, is much lower in Bt corn than non-Bt corn.

The benefits of the next wave of biotechnology crops will be more obvious to consumers. Some of
those benefits will involve improvements in food quality and safety, while others will provide
consumers with foods designed specifically to be healthier and more nutritious.

HEALTH AND NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS

A variety of healthier cooking oils derived from biotechnology are already on the market. Using
biotechnology, plant scientists have decreased the total amount of saturated fatty acids in certain
vegetable oils. They have also increased the conversion of linoleic acid to the fatty acid found
mainly in fish that is associated with lowering cholesterol levels.

Another nutritional concern related to edible oils is the negative health effects produced when
vegetable oils are hydrogenated to increase their heat stability for cooking or to solidify oils used in
making margarine. The hydrogenation process results in the formation of trans-fatty acids

PRODUCT QUALITY
We are also using biotechnology to change the characteristics of the raw material inputs so that
they are more attractive to consumers and more amenable to processing. Biotechnology
researchers are increasing the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables; improving the crispness of
carrots, peppers and celery; creating seedless varieties of grapes and melons; extending the
seasonal geographic availability of tomatoes, strawberries and raspberries; improving the flavor of
tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, peas and potatoes; and creating caffeine-free coffee and tea.

Japanese scientists have now identified the enzyme that produces the chemical that makes us cry
when we slice an onion. Knowing the identity of the enzyme is the first step in finding a way to
block the gene to create "tearless" onions.

SAFETY OF THE RAW MATERIALS

The most significant food-safety issue food producers face is microbial contamination, which can
occur at any point from farm to table. Any biotechnology product that decreases microbes found on
animal products and crop plants will significantly improve the safety of raw materials entering the
food supply. Improved food safety through decreased microbial contamination begins on the farm.
Transgenic disease-resistant and insect-resistant crops have less microbial contamination. New
biotechnology diagnostics, similar to those described in the chapter on medical applications of
biotechnology, detect microbial diseases earlier and more accurately, so farmers can identify and
remove diseased plants and animals before others become contaminated.

Food Processing

Microorganisms have been essential to the food-processing industry for decades. They play a role in
the production of the fermented foods listed in Table 1. They also serve as a rich source of food
additives, enzymes and other substances used in food processing.

IMPROVING FOOD FERMENTORS

Because of the importance of fermented foods to so many cultures, scientists are conducting a lot of
work to improve the microorganisms that carry out food fermentations. The bacterium responsible
for many of our fermented dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt, is susceptible to infection by
a virus that causes substantial economic losses to the food industry. Through recombinant
technology, researchers have made some strains of this bacterium and other important fermentors
resistant to viral infection.

We have known for years that some bacteria used in food fermentation produce compounds that kill
other, contaminating bacteria that cause food poisoning and food spoilage. Using biotechnology we
are equipping many of our microbial fermentors with this self-defense mechanism to decrease
microbial contamination of fermented foods.

FOOD ADDITIVES AND PROCESSING AIDS

Microorganisms have been essential to the food industry not only for their importance as
fermentors, but also because they are the source of many of the additives and processing aids used
in food processing. Biotechnology advances will enhance their value to the food industry even
further.

Food additives are substances used to increase nutritional value, retard spoilage, change
consistency and enhance flavor. The compounds food processors use as food additives are
substances nature has provided and are usually of plant or microbial origin, such as xanthan gum
and guar gum, which are produced by microbes. Many
Microbial fermentation is essential to the
of the amino acid supplements, flavors, flavor
production of these fermented foods
enhancers and vitamins added to breakfast cereals are
produced by microbial fermentation. Through beer distilled tamari
biotechnology, food processors will be able to produce bologna liquors tea
many compounds that could serve as food additives but bread/baked kefir tempeh
that now are in scant supply or that are found in goods miso tofu
microorganisms or plants difficult to maintain in buttermilk olives vinegar
fermentation systems. cheeses pickles wine
cider salami yogurt
Food Safety Testing cocoa sauerkraut
coffee sour cream
cottage cheese soy sauce
In addition to the many ways biotechnology is helping
us enhance the safety of the food supply, biotechnology is providing us with many tools to detect
microorganisms and the toxins they produce. Monoclonal antibody tests, biosensors, polymerase
chain reaction (PCR) methods and DNA probes are being developed that will be used to determine
the presence of harmful bacteria that cause food poisoning and food spoilage, such as Listeria and
Clostridium botulinum.

We can now distinguish E. coli 0157:H7, the strain of E. coli responsible for several deaths in recent
years, from the many other harmless E. coli strains. These tests are portable, quicker and more
sensitive to low levels of microbial contamination than previous tests because of the increased
specificity of molecular technique. For example, the new diagnostic tests for Salmonella yield results
in 36 hours, compared with the three or four days the older detection methods required.