Other denominations
Description
Research into new food production techniques and processes is closely conditioned by advances and biotechnological innovations. This is the case with food genetic engineering, which aims to create genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in order to produce improvements or confer a certain property to food. By means of different techniques, external gens from a different species can be transferred to an organism (which is not their own nature), providing them the desired characteristics: higher productivity; resistance to pesticides, disease or adverse weather conditions; adaptations to different growth conditions; production of a substance or drug; etc. When the modification involves the introduction of a gene from another species, we speak of transgenics.
The genetically modified food specialist is responsible for the design, development and execution of research projects on food production and improvement, using different methods, ranging from simple plant selection to more complex molecular techniques.
In each case, before GMOs are authorized for consumption, all GMOs undergo a rigorous, individualized process for safety assessment. In Europe, this scientific evaluation it is under European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) responsibility. The evaluation shows GMO do not pose a danger to human health, that they do not cause allergies, that there is no transfer of genetic material or resistance to antibiotics and that no significant change has taken place from the nutritional food properties point of view.
Tasks
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