Starchy spuds you like
Genetically modified potatoes will be grown commercially in 2007, Marina Murphy reports |
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 Genetically modified potatoes will be grown commercially for the first time in 2007. As C&I went to press, scientists at BASF Plant Sciences said they expected to receive approval for their Amflora potatoes from the EU in time for market launch and cultivation in 2007.
‘This is the first potato of its kind,’ according to Thorsten Storck, global project manager at BASF Plant Sciences. ‘We have tested these potatoes over 10 years. The only thing we need now is EU approval. And at this stage, we are optimistic of getting permission to grow and sell these potatoes in time for planting next year,’ Storck said. A spokesperson for BASF said that GM potatoes being developed by other companies are still in the development stage.
The potatoes are modified so that they contain one rather than two starches. Conventional potatoes contain both amylopectin and amylose starches. Amylopectin thickens and amylose gels and, for most applications, the amylose component is not wanted. Removing it consumes water and energy. Amflora is a pure amylopectin potato, created by switching off a gene for the granule bound starch synthase, the key enzyme in the synthesis of amylose. Switching off the gene
was achieved using anti-sense technology.
The potatoes are not intended for human consumption.
They will be grown for the starch industry and used in paper, adhesives, textiles, construction and cosmetics.
‘The Amflora potato is suitable for all applications. The starch produced does not need to be chemically modified and the starch solutions are more stable,’ said Storck.
Claire Oxborrow, GM campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said that a qualified majority on 4 December 2006 by the regulatory committee was unlikely, but agreed that approval in time for Spring planting was likely. She expressed concern that the new potatoes may find their way into the food supply, especially given that a separate application by BASF for food and feeding is not far behind this one. She also pointed out that safety should be a concern given that a rat-feeding study showed changes to spleen weight and blood composition in rats feed GM starch potatoes.
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