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Biotechnology
and the
Food Supply
Proceedings of a
S.
ymposlum
Food and Nutrition Board
Commission on Life Sciences
National Research Council
NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C. 1988
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the
Governing Board of the National Research Counci], whose members are drawn from
the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of
Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according
to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of
the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the
Institute of Medicine.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating
society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientif ic and engineering
research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their
,
- _ ~
use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it
by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise
the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Frank Press is
president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the
charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of
outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the
selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the
responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of
Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs,
encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of
engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy of
_ . .
Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy
of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate
professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of
the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National
Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the
federal government and, upon its own initiative. to identify issues of medical
care, research, and education.
Institute of Medicine.
Dr. Samuel O. Thier is president of the
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of
Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology
with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal
government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the
Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the
National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in
providing services to the government. The Council is administered jointly by
both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Frank Press and Dr. Robert
M. White are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research
Council.
The work on which this publication is based was supported by the National
Research Council Fund--a pool of private, discretionary, nonfederal funds that
is used to support a program of Academy-initiated studies of national issues in
which science and technology figure significantly. The Fund consists of
contributions from a consortium of private foundations including the Carnegie
Corporation of New York, the Charles E. Culpeper Foundation, the William and
Flora Hewlett Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,
the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Alfred
P. Sloan Foundation; the Academy Industry Program, which seeks annual
contributions from companies that are concerned with the health of U.S. science
and technology and with public policy issues with technological content; and
the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering
endowments.
The views expressed in this book are solely those of the individual
authors and are not necessarily the views of the Food and Nutrition Board.
Copies available from:
Food and Nutrition Board
National Research Council
2101 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20418
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FOOD AND NUTRITION BOARD
KURT J. ISSELBACHER (Chairman), Harvard Medical School and
Department of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General
Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
RICHARD J. HAVEL (Vice Chairman), Cardiovascular Research
Institute, University of California School of Medicine,
San Francisco, California
HAMISH N. MUNRO (Vice Chairman), Human Nutrition Research
Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts
WILLIAM E. CONNOR, Department of Medicine, Oregon Health
Sciences University, Portland, Oregon
PETER GREENWALD, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
M. R. C. GREENWOOD, Department of Biology, Vassar College,
Poughkeepsie, New York
JOAN D. GUSSOW, Department of Nutrition Education, Teachers
College, Columbia University, New York, New York
JAMES R. KIRK, Research and Development, Campbell Soup
Company, Camden, New Jersey
BERNARD J. LISKA, Department of Food Science, Purdue
University, West Lafayette, Indiana
REYNALDO MARTORELL, Food Research Institute, Stanford
University, Stanford, California
WALTER MERTZ, Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricu
tural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Beltsville, Maryland
. . .
il
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MALDEN C. NESHEIM, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell
University, Ithaca, New York
RONALD C. SHANK, Department of Community and Environmental
Medicine and Department of Pharmacology, University of
California, Irvine, California
ROBERT H. WASSERMAN, Department/Section of Physiology, New
York State College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell
University, Ithaca, New York
MYRON WINICK, Institute of Human Nutrition, College of
Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York,
New York
J. MICHAEL McGINNIS (Ex Officio), Office of Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion, Department of Health
and Human Services, Washington, D.C.
ARNO G. MOTULSKY (Ex Officio), Center for Inherited
Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle,
Washington
Staff
SUSHMA PALMER, Director, Food and Nutrition Board
FRANCES.PETER, Editor, Commission on Life Sciences
1V
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PREFACE
Biotechnology and the food supply was the subject of
the Food and Nutrition Board's annual symposium held on
December I, 1986, at the National Academy of Sciences in
Washington, D.C. The papers presented at the symposium,
and contained in this volume, address various aspects of
this topic, including food production, food safety, and
food quality.
Eleven years ago at the Asilomar conference on recom-
binant DNA, biotechnology and genetic engineering were in
their infancy, and very few people really predicted or
appreciated the overall impact that this new technology
would have. For example, through biotechnology it has been
possible to make plants resistant to drought, to develop
vaccines against disabling viral diseases of animals, and
as these proceedings indicate, to modify foods and the food
supply both before and after harvest.
When we speak about biotechnology, we must include not
only recombinant DNA techniques but also the techniques of
producing monoclonal antibodies and the ability to grow
cells in culture. When we refer to monoclonal antibodies,
we are talking about very specific and selective proteins
with great potential. They are so specific that they can
be viewed as specific keys to a lock. Imagine all the
doors with their locks and keys in the White House and in
v
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the Capitol. If the monoclonal antibodies were keys, they
could be coded so specifically that one could have one
antibody to fit only a single one of the many locks.
Hence, they are very powerful tools that can be used to
purify medically important materials such as hormones or
vaccines. At the same time, they can be used to remove
chemical or bacterial toxins to improve the quality of the
food supply.
Tissue culture is also an important tool. For example,
we can select individual cells such as plant cells, grow
them into plants, or combine them with other types of plant
cells to form hybrid or better quality plants or
vegetables.
In essence, recombinant DNA techniques make possible
the isolation of a specific gene of interest. For example,
consider the gene for the production of growth hormone.
After it is isolated, the gene can be attached to a
transporter or a vehicle to permit that gene to enter a
recipient cell such as a bacterium, plant cell, or animal
cell. After its incorporation into the cell, the DNA is
then able to make a cell with new properties. Thus, one
can regard the recipient cell as source material, since, as
it continues to function or multiply, it generates the
production of pure growth hormone.
When we considered the tools of biotechnology at this
symposium, we took into account not only the ways these
tools are used today but also the ways they should be used
in the future and the possible caveats in their use and
application. In considering uses and misuses of recom-
binant DNA technology, some scientists have focused more on
the negative rather than on the positive aspects; some I
think have even reached the conclusion that recombinant DNA
technology is really bad for society. This symposium was
intended to present a balanced perspective on this overall
important issue.
Kurt J. Isselbacher, M.D.,
Food and Nutrition Board
V1
rman
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CONTENTS
I BIOTECHNOLOGY: FOOD PRODUCTION AND
NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
The Gene Revolution
Albert Gore. Jr ~ . ~
The Impact of Biotechnology on Food Production
Ernest G. Jaworski
· e · · · · · · · · e
New Applications of Biotechnology in the Food
Industry
Robert H Lawrence Jr.
· ~
II BIOTECHNOLOGY: FOOD SAFETY AND NEW
ROLES FOR TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS
Potential Food Safety Problems Related to New
Uses of Biotechnology
Jack Doyle . . . e ~ e ~ ~ e e ~ ~ e e · ~ -
Biotechnology: Its Potential Impact on Inter-
relationships Among Agriculture, Industry, and
Society
Lawrence Busch and William B. LacY
AUTHORS AND COAUTHORS
vii
9
9
49
75
.107
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