Influence of Feed from Genetically Modified Plants (GMP) on Composition and Quality of Food of Animal Origin

Plant breeding can be considered as the starting point for the human food chain. Bioengineering methods have been introduced as breeding techniques over the past 20 years. The global commercial cultivation of genetically modified plants (GMPs) increased from 1.7 million ha in 1996 to ∼180 million ha in 2015, with maize, soybean, cotton, and rapeseed being the most important GMPs during this time. In addition to producing high and stable plant yields, GMPs have also been bred to be resistant to insects or as plant production aids (GMPs of the 1st generation were produced without substantial changes in the composition and nutritive value). Later, GMPs were bred to enhance the composition (e.g., biofortification, GMPs of the second-generation were bred with nutrition in mind). Many feeding studies have been performed in laboratory animals and food-producing animals using GMPs or coproducts from GMPs (i.e., soybean meal, cotton seed meal, and rapeseed cake). Studies using food-producing animals have enabled researchers to analyze animal health and welfare, follow the integration of transgenic DNA and newly expressed proteins, and analyze the influence of GMPs on the composition and quality of foods of animal origin (i.e., milk, eggs, meat, and fish). Feeds from the first-generation GMPs did not significantly influence the composition and quality of foods of animal origin. In addition, there was no scientific evidence to suggest that recombinant DNA and newly expressed proteins had off-target chemical and physiological effects in animals. Therefore, first-generation GMP feeds can be considered as equivalents to their isogenic counterparts. Second-generation GMP feeds (with output traits) may influence the composition and quality of animal feeds, especially the fatty acid composition. Minerals and vitamins from biofortified plants can be stored in some animal organs or may be excreted in milk or eggs. A lower content of undesirable substances may improve the feed value of GMPs.