#arctic apples

[mikeshouts]

Thanks To Genetic Modification, Arctic Apples Will Not Turn Brown

Would you?

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[dreadlockmimi]

I'm so grateful to have found a place to express my love and passions for food and nutrition in a way that is embraced and encouraged by my peers and mentors. I've never felt anything but positivity and kindness from the wonderful registered dietitian nutritionists at events like this year's WSAND Educational Conference.

[nutsonews]

New Post has been published on Nutso News

USDA approves sale of genetically engineered apples that don’t go brown

There’s a new Canadian creation set to take the U.S. by storm, and it’s not the BlackBerry Passport and Classic that are heading to AT&T. It’s a real fruit, not just a gadget named after one.

These are Arctic Apples, a genetically engineered creation of scientists working for the Okanagan Specialty Fruits company in British Columbia, and they’ve just been approved for sale by the USDA. They’re virtually identical to any other apple you’d buy at the grocery store, with one key difference: they don’t go brown after being cut. They can even shrug off bruises, too.

The company says that they just had to turn off a single enzyme to make it happen. No proteins have been modified, and founder Neil Carter says that both the flowers and fruit from their Arctic Apple trees are “of the same composition and analysis” as other apples.

Okanagan is careful to call out that the apples can’t avoid every kind of discoloration. Arctic Apple slices will eventually go brown if you forget them in the back of the fridge or leave them lying under the couch. That’s a different process, of course, so the disabled enzyme has no effect.

It’s been a long journey to take Arctic Apples from seed to store shelves. Trees were planted around twelve years ago, and Carter says “we’ve waited almost five years for with regulatory approval,” noting that the USDA’s blessing is a huge win for his company. He added, “we’re stoked [that] we can get down to business planting trees and selling Arctic Apples.”

Source: Science – Geek.com

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http://nutsonews.com/lifestyle/food/usda-approves-sale-of-genetically-engineered-apples-that-dont-go-brown-2/

[jenn2d2]

The so-called Arctic apples — which will be available in the Granny Smith and Golden Delicious varieties — are genetically engineered in a way to suppress the production of an enzyme that causes browning when cells in the apple are injured, from slicing, for example. But over time the apples will still rot and turn brown. In November, the Agriculture Department approved a genetically engineered potato developed by the J.R. Simplot Company that uses a similar technique to prevent browning. The apple will join relatively few other examples of genetically modified fresh produce, including papaya and some sweet corn. Most of the genetically modified food Americans eat is processed, containing ingredients made from engineered corn or soybeans. The engineered trait is also one of the few meant to appeal to consumers; most of the traits so far, like insect resistance and herbicide resistance, have been aimed at helping farmers. The approval is also unusual in that Okanagan, which is based in Summerland, British Columbia, is a small company. Most genetically modified crops are developed by giant seed and chemical companies like Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer. Neal Carter, the president of Okanagan, said the apple had “a lot of silent supporters” and would be popular with the food service business. “I can’t believe how many requests we’ve had just this morning to our website from people who want to buy trees,” he said. The roughly 45 investors in the privately held company include many people in the apple business, he said. It will take a few years for Arctic apples to be widely available because trees have to first be planted and then become mature enough to bear fruit.

Gene-Altered Apples Get U.S. Approval - NYTimes.com

[memeengine]

But Is It Natural... Selection?

themiddlepane said: Interesting. Could man be playing the part of the selector in the natural selection process here? It does seem a bit unnatural though and just for man’s purpose. I always think of Gattaca when I read stuff like this.

I'm a little late replying, but better late than never... this is in response to my post on Arctic Apples - a genetically engineered, non-browning apple that may be seen soon in Canadian orchards.

I've said before on tumblr that when you take a broad enough view, the distiction between Natural and Synthetic is a little dubious.  Still, I think I'd respond that this case with the apples is pretty far outside what we usually mean when we talk about Natural Selection.

Two reasons:

Humans are able to "select" at a scale never before seen.  This wouldn't be just a group of people picking the apples they like to eat best and distributing the seeds.  This would be an organized mass planting.  Of course, we've seen this in lots of other crops, and it doesn't really bother me.  However, this brings me to...

In natural selection, random mutations/differences occur, and those that are best at surviving (or reproducing) survive (or reproduce).  However, the change in Arctic Apples is not random.  It was purposeful and directed.  Long-term survival of the fittest is likely a good judge of effective changes.  In this case however, individual humans are attempting to judge the effectiveness before the change is enacted.  And I just don't think we measure up.

Going back to point 1, humans have practiced some pretty directed and massive selection in other species already: dog breeding, seedless grapes, and strawberries for example.  Strawberries were tiny nubs before humans started eating (and replanting) the reddest, juiciest berried plants en masse.  Dogs, with all their breeds, have changed much much faster that is normal because of human breeding programs.

And the non-adaptiveness of seedless grapes seems pretty clear to me.  Yet they flourish, because we love them.  How do those things reproduce anyway?  No Seeds!!

Interestingly, I'm pretty sure I've read about other species doing this as well.  Though acorns would make a good human crop (they contain lots of oils that are difficult to find and essential to our diet), they have not adapted and become delicious to us.  Why not?

Apparently the answer is Squirrels.  Instead of adapting for human consumption, Oak trees (and their acorns) have adapted to be more convenient and tempting to squirrels, who reciprocate by spreading the seeds (and thus oak trees) farther than humans might have.  Cool.