China Not Ready for Transgenosis Food

As food containing nucleic acid gains popularity in some Chinese cities, Chinese scientists are warning consumers to distance themselves from such so-called "gene food," which has been promoted by manufacturers as health food that can repair damaged human genes and thereby cure diseases, according to the latest Beijing Review.

Dr. Zhang Meng, a member of the China Leading Group of the Human Genome Project, pointed out recently that strictly speaking, there is no such thing as "gene food." It is true, he said, that all human diseases are directly or indirectly associated with damage to genes, which contain a certain amount of nucleic acid. However, he said，the extra nucleic acid provided by "gene food" can neither cure diseases nor boost health because human beings take in a tremendous amount of nucleic acid in their daily diet.

"The last thing human bodies require is nucleic acid," he said.

As for transgenosis food, Zhang said, it is food processed from transgenosis organisms.

Technically, transgenosis food is neutral, doing no harm or good to the human body, according to Zhu Zhen, deputy head of the Institute of Genetics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. By 1999, there were already 40 million hectares of farmland producing genetically altered crops around the world.

Zhu noted that transgenosis food, which involves transplanting alien genes into certain plants, might have some potential risks that are hard to detect in the short term. Given this， he said，it is extremely necessary to tighten supervision and regulation over the production of such food.

An official from China's Ministry of Agriculture revealed that China has only approved the commercial production of transgenosis pest-resistant cotton. So far，none of the transgenosis crops or food has been granted such permission.

The official criticized some reports claiming that transgenosis food was already on the domestic market. Currently, commercial production of such food in China needs to pass safety evaluations and other related examinations.

Genes Determine Quality of Fruit

Genes that control factors such as size, color and shape determine the differences in fruit, says Zhang Kaichun of the Beijing Forestry and Fruit Plants Research Institute, according to the latest Beijing Review.

And now that scientists have discovered how to detect different genes, farmers can hand over a twig to have its genes checked prior to planting. It works the same as a detective checking fingerprints. Once farmers know which trees are good and which are bad，they can discard the bad ones. Farmers can even breed new varieties in accordance with their individual tastes.

In the past three years, tens of thousands of tests were carried out to determine the genetic features of fruit. Zhang showed a photo of a DNA-test and pointed to the shining lines on it, saying that the lines were genetic signs that tell us what a tree's fruit will be like. For example, the ordinary pear tree bears fruit after four years. But now it only takes a month to test the DNA from a tender leaf and a farmer will know everything about its fruit. By creating hybrids from trees with suitable genes, farmers can create whatever fruit trees they want.

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