GMO Apples May Be Headed to Your Supermarket Soon
The first genetically modified apple has just been approved by the USDA, igniting a new debate over the safety of GM foods and whether the products should carry mandatory labels.
The Arctic apple from Canadian company Okanagan Specialty Fruits is designed to resist browning, a natural occurrence when apples are exposed to air. Unlike other genetically modified foods that have genes added to them, the company created the Arctic apple by removing the gene that controls the oxidative process.
In conventional apples, the color change (called enzymatic browning) happens when oxygen reacts with an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase. Scientists used gene silencing to turn off the Arctic apple's polyphenol oxidase expression, causing it to produce the enzyme in amounts too small to initiate browning.
Watch the process unfold in this 24-hour time lapse video:
Arctic apple is the brand name for two varieties of apples that have just been approved for commercial planting. In a few years, you'll be able to buy a GM Granny Smith or GM Golden Delicious version. Not into green or yellow apples? Don't worry, the company has plans for a GM Gala and GM Fuji too.
According to a press release:
[...] We will be working hard to get as many trees in the ground as possible so that you'll be able to purchase Arctic apples in stores within the next few years.Since it takes apple trees a number of years to produce significant amounts of fruit, it will likely be 2016 before any Arctic Granny or Arctic Golden apples are available for small, test-markets. Following that, we expect increasing amounts of fruit each year, including additional nonbrowning varieties like Arctic® Gala and Arctic® Fuji.
Though the USDA has deregulated these apples, allowing Okanagan Specialty Fruits to move forward with production, the FDA is still reviewing their safety, according to an agency spokeswoman.