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Racovita M, Spök A. Strategic science translation in emerging science: genetically modified crops and Bisphenol A in two cases of contested animal toxicity studies. GM CROPS & FOOD 2022; 13:142-155. [PMID: 35942901 PMCID: PMC9367667 DOI: 10.1080/21645698.2022.2103368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
When controversies develop around scientific facts or technologies, the potential of science to become a tool in plays of interests and power between different actors is not well recognized. Cordner’s concept of Strategic Science Translation (SST) shows that such actions are enabled by the uncertainty and the complexity of the scientific processes that allow the use of science in support of various, often contradictory interests and goals. Two high-profile controversies around animal toxicity studies in two different fields of European regulatory science (genetically modified food and food contact materials) were chosen as case studies to explore and expand the SST concept. Both studies involve emerging science issues, emphasizing tensions between regulatory and academic science. Communications from key Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and industry groups were used for analysis of each controversy. We found that both groups of actors try to present their own interpretation of scientific results, taking advantage of the lack of scientific consensus, of the uncertainties associated with the negotiation in the interpretation of results, and of the wider scientific and political context. In the same time, each actor attempts to challenge the credibility of the other. The lack of formal acknowledgment of the limitations of the emerging scientific fields, as well as of different research approaches between regulatory and academic research contribute to the continuation of controversies in the public domain, as the public cannot easily assess the information presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Racovita
- Science, Technology and Society Unit, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
| | - Armin Spök
- Science, Technology and Society Unit, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
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Hadi J, Brightwell G. Safety of Alternative Proteins: Technological, Environmental and Regulatory Aspects of Cultured Meat, Plant-Based Meat, Insect Protein and Single-Cell Protein. Foods 2021; 10:1226. [PMID: 34071292 PMCID: PMC8230205 DOI: 10.3390/foods10061226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Food security and environmental issues have become global crises that need transformative solutions. As livestock production is becoming less sustainable, alternative sources of proteins are urgently required. These include cultured meat, plant-based meat, insect protein and single-cell protein. Here, we describe the food safety aspects of these novel protein sources, in terms of their technological backgrounds, environmental impacts and the necessary regulatory framework for future mass-scale production. Briefly, cultured meat grown in fetal bovine serum-based media can be exposed to viruses or infectious prion, in addition to other safety risks associated with the use of genetic engineering. Plant-based meat may contain allergens, anti-nutrients and thermally induced carcinogens. Microbiological risks and allergens are the primary concerns associated with insect protein. Single-cell protein sources are divided into microalgae, fungi and bacteria, all of which have specific food safety risks that include toxins, allergens and high ribonucleic acid (RNA) contents. The environmental impacts of these alternative proteins can mainly be attributed to the production of growth substrates or during cultivation. Legislations related to novel food or genetic modification are the relevant regulatory framework to ensure the safety of alternative proteins. Lastly, additional studies on the food safety aspects of alternative proteins are urgently needed for providing relevant food governing authorities with sufficient data to oversee that the technological progress in this area is balanced with robust safety standards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Hadi
- AgResearch Ltd., Hopkirk Research Institute, Cnr University Ave and Library Road, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand;
| | - Gale Brightwell
- AgResearch Ltd., Hopkirk Research Institute, Cnr University Ave and Library Road, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand;
- New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre, Massey University Manawatu (Turitea), Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4474, New Zealand
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Bøhn T, Millstone E. The Introduction of Thousands of Tonnes of Glyphosate in the food Chain-An Evaluation of Glyphosate Tolerant Soybeans. Foods 2019; 8:E669. [PMID: 31835834 PMCID: PMC6963490 DOI: 10.3390/foods8120669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Glyphosate-tolerant (GT) soybeans dominate the world soybean market. These plants have triggered increased use of, as well as increased residues of, glyphosate in soybean products. We present data that show farmers have doubled their glyphosate applications per season (from two to four) and that residues of late season spraying of glyphosate (at full bloom of the plant) result in much higher residues in the harvested plants and products. GT soybeans produced on commercial farms in the USA, Brazil and Argentina accumulate in total an estimated 2500-10,000 metric tonnes of glyphosate per year, which enter global food chains. We also review studies that have compared the quality of GT soybeans with conventional and organic soybeans. Feeding studies in Daphnia magna have shown dose-related adverse effects (mortality, reduced fecundity and delayed reproduction) of glyphosate residues in soybeans, even at glyphosate concentrations below allowed residue levels. We argue that GT soybeans need to be tested in fully representative and realistic contexts. However, the current risk assessment system has only required and received data from field trials with beans that were sprayed with much lower doses of glyphosate as compared to contemporary commercial farms. This has left knowledge gaps and a potentially serious underestimation of health risks to consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Bøhn
- Institute of Marine Research, 9006 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Erik Millstone
- Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9SL, UK;
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Talyn B, Lemon R, Badoella M, Melchiorre D, Villalobos M, Elias R, Muller K, Santos M, Melchiorre E. Roundup ®, but Not Roundup-Ready ® Corn, Increases Mortality of Drosophila melanogaster. TOXICS 2019; 7:E38. [PMID: 31370250 PMCID: PMC6789507 DOI: 10.3390/toxics7030038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Genetically modified foods have become pervasive in diets of people living in the US. By far the most common genetically modified foods either tolerate herbicide application (HT) or produce endogenous insecticide (Bt). To determine whether these toxicological effects result from genetic modification per se, or from the increase in herbicide or insecticide residues present on the food, we exposed fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, to food containing HT corn that had been sprayed with the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup®, HT corn that had not been sprayed with Roundup®, or Roundup® in a variety of known glyphosate concentrations and formulations. While neither lifespan nor reproductive behaviors were affected by HT corn, addition of Roundup® increased mortality with an LC50 of 7.1 g/L for males and 11.4 g/L for females after 2 days of exposure. Given the many genetic tools available, Drosophila are an excellent model system for future studies about genetic and biochemical mechanisms of glyphosate toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Becky Talyn
- College of Natural Science, California State University, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA.
| | - Rachael Lemon
- Biology Department, California State University, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
| | - Maryam Badoella
- Biology Department, California State University, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
| | | | - Maryori Villalobos
- Biology Department, California State University, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
| | - Raquel Elias
- Biology Department, California State University, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
| | - Kelly Muller
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, California State University, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
| | - Maggie Santos
- Biology Department, California State University, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
| | - Erik Melchiorre
- Geology Department, California State University, 5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
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Bernillon S, Maucourt M, Deborde C, Chéreau S, Jacob D, Priymenko N, Laporte B, Coumoul X, Salles B, Rogowsky PM, Richard-Forget F, Moing A. Characterization of GMO or glyphosate effects on the composition of maize grain and maize-based diet for rat feeding. Metabolomics 2018; 14:36. [PMID: 30830357 DOI: 10.1007/s11306-018-1329-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2017] [Accepted: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In addition to classical targeted biochemical analyses, metabolomic analyses seem pertinent to reveal expected as well as unexpected compositional differences between plant genetically modified organisms (GMO) and non-GMO samples. Data previously published in the existing literature led to divergent conclusions on the effect of maize transgenes on grain compositional changes and feeding effects. Therefore, a new study examining field-grown harvested products and feeds derived from them remains useful. OBJECTIVES Our aim was to use a metabolomics approach to characterize grain and grain-based diet compositional changes for two GMO events, one involving Bacillus thuringiensis toxin to provide insect resistance and the other one conferring herbicide tolerance by detoxification of glyphosate. We also investigated the potential compositional modifications induced by the use of a glyphosate-based herbicide on the transgenic line conferring glyphosate tolerance. RESULTS The majority of statistically significant differences in grain composition, evidenced by the use of 1H-NMR profiling of polar extracts and LC-ESI-QTOF-MS profiling of semi-polar extracts, could be attributed to the combined effect of genotype and environment. In comparison, transgene and glyphosate effects remained limited in grain for the compound families studied. Some but not all compositional changes observed in grain were also detected in grain-based diets formulated for rats. CONCLUSION Only part of the data previously published in the existing literature on maize grains of plants with the same GMO events could be reproduced in our experiment. All spectra have been deposited in a repository freely accessible to the public. Our grain and diet characterization opened the way for an in depth study of the effects of these diets on rat health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphane Bernillon
- UMR1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, INRA, Univ. Bordeaux, Centre INRA de Nouvelle Aquitaine - Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
- Plateforme Métabolome du Centre de Génomique Fonctionnelle Bordeaux, MetaboHUB, PHENOME, IBVM, Centre INRA de Nouvelle Aquitaine - Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Mickaël Maucourt
- UMR1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, INRA, Univ. Bordeaux, Centre INRA de Nouvelle Aquitaine - Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
- Plateforme Métabolome du Centre de Génomique Fonctionnelle Bordeaux, MetaboHUB, PHENOME, IBVM, Centre INRA de Nouvelle Aquitaine - Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Catherine Deborde
- UMR1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, INRA, Univ. Bordeaux, Centre INRA de Nouvelle Aquitaine - Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
- Plateforme Métabolome du Centre de Génomique Fonctionnelle Bordeaux, MetaboHUB, PHENOME, IBVM, Centre INRA de Nouvelle Aquitaine - Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Sylvain Chéreau
- UR MycSA, INRA, Centre INRA de Nouvelle Aquitaine - Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Daniel Jacob
- UMR1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, INRA, Univ. Bordeaux, Centre INRA de Nouvelle Aquitaine - Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
- Plateforme Métabolome du Centre de Génomique Fonctionnelle Bordeaux, MetaboHUB, PHENOME, IBVM, Centre INRA de Nouvelle Aquitaine - Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Nathalie Priymenko
- Toxalim (Research Centre in Food Toxicology), Université de Toulouse, INRA, ENVT, INP-Purpan, UPS, 31027, Toulouse, France
| | - Bérengère Laporte
- Toxalim (Research Centre in Food Toxicology), Université de Toulouse, INRA, ENVT, INP-Purpan, UPS, 31027, Toulouse, France
| | - Xavier Coumoul
- UMRS1124, Toxicologie, Pharmacologie et Signalisation Cellulaire, INSERM, Univ. Paris Descartes, 75000, Paris, France
| | - Bernard Salles
- Toxalim (Research Centre in Food Toxicology), Université de Toulouse, INRA, ENVT, INP-Purpan, UPS, 31027, Toulouse, France
| | - Peter M Rogowsky
- Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, Univ. Lyon, ENS de Lyon, UCB Lyon 1 CNRS, INRA, 69000, Lyon, France
| | - Florence Richard-Forget
- UR MycSA, INRA, Centre INRA de Nouvelle Aquitaine - Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Annick Moing
- UMR1332 Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, INRA, Univ. Bordeaux, Centre INRA de Nouvelle Aquitaine - Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France.
- Plateforme Métabolome du Centre de Génomique Fonctionnelle Bordeaux, MetaboHUB, PHENOME, IBVM, Centre INRA de Nouvelle Aquitaine - Bordeaux, 71 av Edouard Bourlaux, 33140, Villenave d'Ornon, France.
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Cuhra M, Bøhn T, Cuhra P. In plastico: laboratory material newness affects growth and reproduction of Daphnia magna reared in 50-ml polypropylene tubes. Sci Rep 2017; 7:46442. [PMID: 28425469 PMCID: PMC5397889 DOI: 10.1038/srep46442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Plastic laboratory materials are found to affect vital parameters of the waterflea Daphnia magna. The main responsible factor is defined as “newness” of the materials. Juvenile D. magna were raised individually in; a) new laboratory-standard 50 ml polypropylene tubes, and; b) identical tubes which had been washed and aerated for several weeks. Newness had significant effects on growth and fecundity of D. magna. New tubes caused delayed maturation, reduced reproduction and reduced growth when compared to washed and re-used tubes of the same commercial brand. The findings indicate that newness of tubes has inhibiting or toxic effects on D. magna. Often laboratory plastics are intended for single-use due to sterility demands. Newness might be an important confounding factor in research results and should not be disregarded. Disposable plastic utensils may come with a seemingly ignored cost and induce adverse effects in biological test-organisms and systems. The presented findings accentuate continued need for general awareness concerning confounding factors stemming from material laboratory environment. Based on the present findings the authors suggest that plastics intended for use in sensitive research may need to be washed and aerated prior to use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek Cuhra
- Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, Marbank, Forskningsparken, Sykehusv. 21, 9019 Tromsø, Norway.,Institute of Farmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, P.O. box 6050 Langnes, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Thomas Bøhn
- GenØk - Centre for Biosafety, The Science Park, P.O. box 6418, 9294 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Petr Cuhra
- Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority, Za Opravnou 6, 150 00 Praha 5, Czech Republic
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