Allergenicity of Genetically Modified Crops

Kim, Hae Yeong; Kim, Jae Hwan

Abstract

During the period 1996 to 2006, 51 countries have granted regulatory approvals for genetically modified (GM) crops for import for food and feed use and for release into the environment. A total of 539 approvals has been granted for 107 events for 21 crops. One of the safety concerns regarding GM crops is potential allergenicity of the inserted protein. In safety-assessment of the allergenic potential from GM crops, the allergenic properties of the gene donor and the host organisms should be evaluated. The sequence of the newly introduced protein should be compared with all known allergens. If a sequence homology match to a known allergen is identified for the introduced protein, then this protein should be assessed for immunoreactivity using sera from allergic patients. If no sequence homology to known allergens is identified, then the stability of the protein to digestion and processing is assessed. Currently, laboratory and clinical tests have been reported and the assessment process of GM crops has worked well to prevent the unintended introduction of allergens. However, these tests may still occasionally miss a new allergen from all novel foods containing GM crops. The newly introduced protein in GM crops must be carefully assessed as proteins may induce allergic reactions in humans.