Plant Food Applications

Biotechnology techniques are being applied to plants to produce plant materials with improved composition, functional characteristics, or organoleptic properties. Genetic modifications have produced fruits that can ripen on the vine for better taste yet have a longer shelf life through delayed pectin degradation or altered responses to the plant hormone ethylene. Among the first commercially available whole food products was the Flavr Savr slow-ripening tomato, which US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved in May 1994; the gene for polygalacturonase, the enzyme responsible for softening, is turned off in this tomato.

Plants that are resistant to disease, pets, environmental conditions, or selected herbicides or pesticides are also being developed. A variety of squash that is resistant to two plants viruses was approved by FDA in 1994. In 1995, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave clearance for development of transgenic corn seed, cotton seed, and seed potatoes that contain the genetic material to resist certain insects; FDA approved these biotechnology applications in 1994. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is considering herbicide-resistant soybeans and cotton seed for animal feed. The advantage of such products is that they allow the use of less toxic and more environmentally friendly herbicides and pesticides. Production of heat- and drought-resistant plants could bring agricultural opportunities to regions of the world currently unsuitable for raising food crops.

Plant foods with enhanced processing and/or nutritional characteristics are likely application of biotechnology. In 1992, Monsanto Company successfully inserted a gene from a bacterium into the Russet Burbank potato. This gene increases the starch content of the transgenic potato. Higher starch content reduces oil absorption during frying, thereby lowering the cost of frying French fries and chips and reducing the oil content in the finished product. In the future, such genetic applications as altering the fatty acid profile in oil seeds and producing wheat with no phenylalanine may be possible.

B-GROUP

Exercise 6. Give synonyms and antonyms of the following words. Consult the dictionary if necessary, give Ukrainian equivalents to them.

SYNONYM ANTONYM

to focus ________________________________________________

non-virulent _____________________________________________

to use _________________________________________________

to increase ______________________________________________

amount _________________________________________________

to allow ________________________________________________

to move ________________________________________________

unrelated _______________________________________________

to eliminate_____________________________________________

undesired ______________________________________________

to make ________________________________________________

to amplify ______________________________________________

to purify _______________________________________________

to include ______________________________________________

disorder ________________________________________________

composition ____________________________________________

C-GROUP

Exercise 7. Review two kinds of Voice. What kind of Voice is more often used in the text above? Write down some examples.

Exercise 8. Put verbs in brackets into the correct grammar form.

1. Genetic engineering technologies can be (to use) to increase the amount of a protein.

2. Biotechnological methods (to use) to produce many proteins by scientists in the XX centuries.

3. A non-virulent strain of Escherichia coli bacteria can (to make) insulin.

4. Human insulin (to approve) for use in 1982.

5. A number of other genetically engineered products (to approve) by the end of the last century.

6. The first food product (to be) a slow-ripening tomato.

7. FDA (to approve) some genetic materials in 1994.

8. The US Department of Agriculture is (to consider) herbicide-resistant soybeans and cotton seed for animal feed.

9. One of the uses of biotechnology in animal production (to be) the use of recombinant bovine somatotropin in dairy cows.

10. Recently microbes (to engineer) to produce amino acids for the synthesis of aspartame.

11. Production of heat-resistant plants (to bring) agricultural opportunities to regions currently unsuitable for raising food crops.

12. In the future, altering the fatty acid profile in oil seeds (to be) possible.

Exercise 9. Put different types of questions to the following sentences.

1. Plants resistant to disease, pets, or selected herbicides are being developed.

2. In 1992, Monsanto Company successfully inserted a gene from a bacterium into the potato.

3. This gene increases the starch content of the transgenic potato.

4. Higher starch content reduced oil absorption during frying.

D-GROUP

Exercise 10. Answer the following questions.

1. What do applications of biotechnology use?

2. What is genetic engineering?

3. What is the main goal of biotechnology?

4. When do bacterial cells produce human insulin and what is its role?

5. What engineered products have been approved since 1982?

6. What is the role of digestive enzymes?

7. What plant materials do biotechnology techniques produce?

8. What was the first food product?

9. What plants are being developed and what are their properties?

10. When and where was a gene from a bacterium inserted?

Exercise 11. Say whether the following statements are used correctly (true) or incorrectly (false). Correct the false sentences. Use phrases given below.

That`s right I can`t agree with it.

Exactly That`s wrong

Quite so I don`t think so.

These tiny things never grow. – That`s wrong, they eat and grow, travel and multiply.

1. Genetic engineering technologies can be used to increase the amount of a protein or metabolite produced by an organism.

2. A virulent strain of Escherichia coli bacteria can make insulin.

3. Human insulin was approved for use in 1992.

4. Microorganisms can be engineered to produce digestive enzymes.

5. Among the first commercially available whole food products was the early-ripening tomato.

6. Production of heat- and drought-resistant plants could not bring agricultural opportunities to regions of the world currently unsuitable for raising food crops.

7. Plant foods with enhanced processing and nutritional characteristics are likely application of biotechnology.