Genetically Modified Potato

1. Potato with bruise-resistance
and
reduced acrylamide-forming potential

2. • Like apples, potatoes brown when they are cut and peeled.
• By inhibition PPO in a similar way as in the non-browning apple, the newly
developed GM potato stay white longer when cut or peeled and are less prone
to pressure bruising during storage, resulting in less potato waste.
• In addition to the feature of bruise resistance, this GM potato is also
engineered to produce lower levels of asparagine.
• Asparagine is an amino acid that is naturally found in many vegetables, and
some varieties of potatoes have higher concentrations.
Introduction
Abdallah AL-Adwan GM-Potato

3. • The (FDA) Guidance for Industry on Acrylamide in Foods states that
“reducing acrylamide levels in foods may mitigate potential human
health risks from exposure to acrylamide & indicate a human health
concern since it is a compound that is both genotoxic and
carcinogenic.”
• Acrylamide forms primarily from a reaction between reducing sugars
(e.g., glucose and fructose) and an amino acid (asparagine, Asn)
formed naturally in foods (Maillard Reaction ) .
• This reaction occurs when carbohydrate‐rich foods are heated at
temperatures above 120 °C.

4. • To generate low acrylamide potential (LAP) potatoes, conventional varieties
were transformed with a plasmid (pSIM1278) designed to introduce
improvements in potato characteristics such as reduced free asparagine.
• The levels of acrylamide are reportedly 50 to 75 percent lower than that in
comparable non-GM counterparts when the GM potatoes are fried.
• This GM potato provides a healthier option for consumers who wish to eat
fried potato products and is expected to be available on the market in the
near future.
Abdallah AL-Adwan GM-Potato

5. • Considering that children consume nearly three times more
acrylamide than adults on a per kg body weight basis, they would
experience the most impact from the reduced acrylamide associated
with LAP potatoes.

6. • The USDA approved commercial planting of a potato that resists
browning and has fewer unsightly and wasteful bruises. It’s called the
Innate™ brand and could be coming to a supermarket near you in the
not-too-distant future.

7. What is different about this new potato?
• Black spot bruising in potatoes is the leading complaint by consumers
and they will see much less of it in the Innate™ brand. The potatoes
also don’t turn brown when exposed to the air after being cut,
preventing the need to soak them after peeling. We think consumers
will find the product more appealing and there will be less waste from
cutting out bruises.

8. How do we know this new potato will be safe?
• There are very strict government regulatory systems in place for all
genetically engineered plants seeking commercialization. This process
includes an intense review process by the USDA, FDA, and even the
EPA in some cases. All of these are to make sure that the product
being developed is both safe to eat for consumers and safe to grow
for the environment.
Abdallah AL-Adwan GM-Potato

9. Method
• The technology used to produce it involves isolating genetic elements from the plant’s existing
gene structure, and after some rearranging, introducing them back into the potato without
incorporating genes from other species.
• To generate LAP potatoes, conventional potatoes were transformed using the pSIM1278
plasmid, which is a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) construct that comprises two expression
cassettes inserted into a transformation plasmid.
• The first cassette uses gene silencing to reduce expression of the asparagine synthetase‐1 gene
(Asn1) and the polyphenol oxidase‐5 gene (Ppo5).
• The second cassette is designed to reduce expression of the starch associated gene (R1) and the
phosphorylase‐L gene (PhL).
• Potato plants with the desired traits were obtained through Agrobacterium mediated
transformation with the pSIM1278 plasmid.
• The pSIM1278 construct acts by effectively reducing synthesis of Asn, which contributes to
reduced acrylamide levels in cooked potatoes

10. Acrylamide Levels
• The acrylamide content of food items is directly related to the amount of
reducing sugars and asparagine in the raw product and the cooking
temperature used in the preparation
• Studies have quantified acrylamide content in foods such as potato chips (up to
3,700 μg/kg), French fries (up to 12,000 μg/kg),
• Acrylamide doesn’t appear to be in raw foods themselves .
• Tolerable intakes of acrylamide should
be set at 2.6 μg/kg of body weight to avoid the cancer risk .
• Innate™ potatoes have up to 70 percent less acrylamide
than other potatoes cooked at high temperatures.

11. • http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_gmf/files/gm
news24e.pdf
• https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/content/profiles/acrylamide.pdf
• https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/acrylamide.html
• https://www.bestfoodfacts.org/new_potato-2/
Reference's
Abdallah AL-Adwan GM-Potato