In the fall semester of 2009 I took the Nature, Technology, and Society course to fulfill both humanities and minor requirements. One of the readings from this course that really stuck with me was “The Ruination of the Tomato” by Mark Kramer which focused on genetically modified tomatoes. The article explained the reason for why the tomato needed such an overhaul from its natural form. The gm tomatoes lacked the flavor and texture of natural tomatoes but they were easier to process. The tomatoes were modified to be more round, have tougher skin and be more resilient to possible bruising. All of these modifications were meant to make harvesting and processing easier and cheaper. The consumer really does not benefit from these modifications. Most of the GM tomatoes were destined to be canned and made into sauces and pastes and therefore go through a lot of processing. If you were to ask a consumer if they prefer round, lack luster flavor tomatoes to misshapen , juicy, delicious tomatoes, the choice is not hard. These actions are “justified” by lower cost for the consumer.
Genetically modified tomatoes also have a longer shelf life than natural tomatoes. According to Discover Magazines webpage, researchers in India have found an enzyme that could potentially extend tomatoes’ shelf to 45 days!!!! A harvested tomato potentially lasting 45 days before going mushy is disturbing to say the least. Enzymes currently used in gm tomatoes only increase shelf life by 2 days. This technology will most likely be applied to other fruits in the near future. It has been seen that gm tomatoes lose the taste factor of natural tomatoes, why would we want to extend this to other foods?
http://www.nyu.edu/projects/nissenbaum/papers/Kramer.pdf
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/02/02/genetically-modified-tomatoes-can-last-45-days-on-the-shelf/
No comments:
Post a Comment