background and objective: over the recent years, genetically modified food in varieties of corn, soybeans, canola and cotton have been introduced to the global market. this study reviews the health and nutritional value of genetically modified foods in the past two decades. results and conclusions: contrary to the present biotechnological claims, transgenic products did not prove to be so flawl...

The detection of genetically modified (GM) materials in food and feed products is a complex multi-step analytical process invoking screening, identification, and often quantification of the genetically modified organisms (GMO) present in a sample. "Combinatory qPCR SYBRGreen screening" (CoSYPS) is a matrix-based approach for determining the presence of GM plant materials in products. The CoSYPS...

This paper develops an econometric model to analyze the onfarm impact of adoption of genetically engineered (GE) crops on pesticide use and yields after controlling for other factors. The model, which corrects for self-selection and simultaneity and is consistent with profit maximization, is used to estimate the relationship between Bt corn adoption and insecticide use and yields using data fro...

A spirited debate on the pros and cons of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) began more than a decade ago and continues unabated to the present time. Scientists, politicians, farmers, seed company executives, food manufacturers, leaders of nongovernmental organizations, and food consumers have all joined the discussion. Many of the scientific and political issues related to GMOs were the sub...

The public discussion on the introduction of agro-genetic engineering focuses mainly on economical, ecological and human health aspects. The fact is neglected that laboratory animals must suffer before either humans or the environment are affected. However, numerous animal experiments are conducted for toxicity testing and authorisation of genetically modified plants in the European Union. Thes...

Background and purpose: In Europe, the EU Directive 2001/18/EC lays out the main provisions of environmental risk assessment (ERA) of genetically modified (GM) organisms that are interpreted very differently by different stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to: (a) describe the current implementation of ERA of GM plants in the EU and its scientific shortcomings, (b) present an improved ER...

Farming is an important and key factor for the economy of developing countries. Since last several years, farmers once again welcomed many traditional farming systems to get crop yield for completion of food requirement. Although, traditional techniques are not much sufficient in new agriculture world because farming is getting new challenges from biotic and abiotic factors. New techniques and ...

In 1987, a report by the National Academy of Sciences stated " an urgent need for the scientific community to provide guidance to both investigators and regulators in evaluating planned introductions of modified organisms from an ecological perspective " (39). This chapter incorporates such a perspective and focuses on a number of ecological issues relevant to the planned introduction of geneti...

Genetically modified organisms have been developed by application of advanced techniques of genetic engineering. GM crops offer distinctive advantages like insects, weed, disease and drought resistance, better nutritional value and higher yield. However in a considerable part of the world, non governmental organizations and/or the general public are hesitating or opposing the cultivation and ap...