Book Description

• the risks and benefits of agricultural biotechnology—to people and the environment
• the regulations and protocols of testing for GMOs that have been adopted by European and United States agencies
• scientific techniques that test for GMOs, including certified reference materials (CRMs) and matrix-based, protein-based, and DNA-based methods of testing
• the limitations of today’s GMO screening methods and the benefits of alternatives that may be used in the future
• the long-term risks associated with gene flow of GMOs to other plants, specifically focusing on liabilities, regulatory climates, and intellectual property rights

• About the Editor
• Contributors
• Preface
• Chapter 1. Risk and Benefits of Agricultural Biotechnology
• The Development of Biotechnology
• Beginning of the Controversy About Biotechnology
• Risk and Benefit Analysis
• The Present Scope of Agricultural Biotechnology Products
• Regulations on Growing Biotechnology Crops
• Grower Adoption of Biotechnology Crops
• Economics of Using the Present Biotechnology Crops
• The Concept of Substantial Equivalence, and Its Impact on Product Liability and International Trade
• Food Safety Issues of Biotechnology Products
• Framework for Evaluating Environmental Effects of Current Biotechnology Crops
• Gene Flow in Transgenic Crops
• Gene Containment Strategies for Biotechnology Crops
• Economic Consequences of Gene Flow from Biotechnology Crops
• Effects of Biotechnology Crops on Nontarget Organisms
• Environmental Consequences of Two Novel GM Organisms
• Pesticide Use Patterns
• Resistance Management to Herbicide-Resistant and Insect-Resistant Plants
• Agricultural Biotechnology in a Changing World
• Chapter 2. Sampling for GMO Analysis: The European Perspective
• Introduction
• The Concept of Sampling and Currently Adopted Sampling Protocols
• Limitations of the Currently Adopted Sampling Protocols
• Sampling for GMO Detection/Quantification: Recommendations
• Concluding Remarks
• Chapter 3. Sampling for the Detection of Biotech Grains: A USDA Perspective
• Introduction
• Introduction to Sampling Theory
• Conclusions
• Chapter 4. Reference Materials and Standards
• Introduction
• Matrix-Based GMO CRMs
• Pure Genomic DNA GMO CRMs
• Pure Plasmidic DNA GMO CRMs
• Pure Protein GMO CRMs
• Discussion
• Chapter 5. Protein-Based Methods: Case Studies
• Introduction
• Foods: Processed and Finished
• Grain and Seed
• Discussion
• Chapter 6. Protein-Based Methods: Elucidation of Principles
• Introduction
• Problems Associated with Developing Immunoassays for Food Proteins and Suggested Remedies
• Western Blotting
• Immunoassays
• Conclusions
• Chapter 7. DNA-Based Methods for Detection and Quantification of GMOs: Principles and Standards
• Introduction
• The Polymerase Chain Reaction
• The Future of GMO Testing
• Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
• DNA Microarrays
• Biosensors
• Chapter 8. DNA-Based Methods for GMO Detection: Historical Developments and Future Prospects
• Southern Hybridization/Slot or Dot Blotting Techniques
• Polymerase Chain Reaction Applications
• Gene Expression and Microarray Technology
• DNA-Based Biosensors
• Conclusions
• Chapter 9. Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Methods
• Introduction: The Limitations of Applying the Current GMO Screening Methods
• Introduction to Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
• Roundup Ready Soybean Detection Case Study
• Quality Assurance Issues
• Future Considerations
• Chapter 10. Other Methods for GMO Detection and Overall Assessment of the Risks
• Proteomics
• Gene Fluorescent Proteins As a Market in Transgenic Plants
• Concerns About Gene Flow, Liabilities, Regulatory Climates, and Intellectual Property Rights
• Assessment of Safety Issues
• Conclusions
• Index
• Reference Notes Included