Food Safety and Regulatory Measures

Biography

Biography: Wen-Shen Chu

Abstract

The genetically modified (GM) Solanum tuberosum line 2-1 obtained by transforming an E. coli phytase gene into CK line was developed by Dr. Su-May Yu team in the Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, Taiwan. The food safety assessment of the transgenic potato line 2-1 was conducted in Sprague–Dawley rats by a 90-days feeding study. Potatoes from line 2-1 and parental potato line CK were incorporated into rodent diets at 67% and administered to Sprague–Dawley rats (n = 10/sex/group) for 90 days. A rodent diet containing corn starch was fed to an additional group as blank group. The measured parameters included clinical observation, body weight, feed consumption, clinical pathological toxicity (urea, blood and serum) and tissues pathological changes (organ weights and histopathological examination). All rats survived the 90-day feeding trial. The treatment group retained normal activity and did not show any toxic signs. Most measured parameters were normal. No significant toxic or dose-related effect on rats fed transgenic potato line 2-1 was detected in microscopic observations for histopathologic evaluation. However, significant differences were observed in the body weight gain, food consumption, hematology, blood biochemical indices and organ weights between the control and treatment groups, but the differences were within the normal range. In conclusion, the feeding trial performed with locally developed transgenic potato line 2-1 at a level of 67% in the diet does not lead to toxicologically relevant effects in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats after a 90-day exposure. The results demonstrated that the genetic modification does not cause adverse effect on the parental potato CK line.