Genetically Modified Foods

Difficulty
Time Required	Long (2-4 weeks)
Prerequisites	A basic understanding of molecular biology and access to a research laboratory with PCR and gel electrophoresis equipment are required for this project.
Material Availability	The kit required for this project can only be purchased through a school or educational business.
Cost	Very High (over $150)
Safety	Adult supervision is required in the laboratory facility.

*Note: This is an abbreviated Project Idea, without notes to start your background research, a specific list of materials, or a procedure for how to do the experiment. You can identify abbreviated Project Ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. If you want a Project Idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk.

Abstract

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are organisms whose DNA have been manipulated to give them new traits. In genetically modified (GM) food crops traits like resistance to drought or pesticide might be added, or the crop may have been made more nutritious, or the taste may be altered to give you something like the impossible burger. Are there GMOs in your favorite foods? Many countries have implemented or are in the process of implementing GMO labeling on foods, but with a little bit of molecular biology know-how you can test your favorite foods yourself! Start out by researching how and why GMOs are made as well as their safety record. Then pick a few foods to test and use the GM Food and Amplification Kit from our partners at Carolina Biological to do your own testing. You will need access to a laboratory with equipment to carry out PCR (polymerase chain reactions) and gel electrophoresis. Which foods do you think use GMOs and why do they do it?

Figure 1. You can perform PCR and DNA electrophoresis, which is shown here (a gel is being loaded with DNA), to test for GMO-products. (Photo courtesy of Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.)

Credits

Sandra Slutz, PhD, Science Buddies

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General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Slutz, Sandra. "Genetically Modified Foods." Science Buddies, 17 Oct. 2018, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/BioChem_p025/biotechnology-techniques/genetically-modified-foods. Accessed 21 Oct. 2018.

APA Style

Slutz, S. (2018, October 17). Genetically Modified Foods. Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/BioChem_p025/biotechnology-techniques/genetically-modified-foods

Last edit date: 2018-10-17

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Genetically Modified Foods *

Abstract

Credits