Nutritionist Zhao Yingmin: Correcting Five Kinds of Genetically Modified Foods

I just read an article forwarded by a circle of friends, saying that the list of genetically modified foods in China was exposed, and a large-scale tumor outbreak was related to genetically modified foods. This is alarmist. I don't know who sent such alarmist words and let everyone have a good meal. I haven't written for a long time, and finally I can't help but want to give you a rumor.

Let me talk about what is genetically modified. The so-called genetically modified product is to transfer the genes of other organisms into crops by artificial methods. As for hybridization between different varieties, or using various conditions to promote plant variation, it is not transgenic.

? First, purple potato

? Purple sweet potato, also known as black sweet potato, is rich in selenium and anthocyanins besides the nutrients of ordinary sweet potato. Anthocyanin is a famous antioxidant, which is why it is purple. In addition to purple potatoes, there are black rice, black peanuts, purple cabbage, blueberries and so on. It is a water-soluble natural pigment widely existing in plants and belongs to flavonoids. It is also the main coloring substance in plant petals. Anthocyanins exist in vacuoles of plant cells and can be converted from chlorophyll. Low temperature, lack of oxygen and phosphorus will also promote the formation and accumulation of anthocyanins. Moreover, purple potato has existed since ancient times, but it has not been planted on a large scale before. You can't say you haven't seen it. It's genetically modified. You haven't seen a computer before, why don't you say it was given to humans by aliens?

? Second, small tomatoes.

? Small tomato, we also call it cherry tomato. Because of the different colors and storage resistance, it is suspected to be genetically modified food. In fact, the shapes of natural plants are inherently diverse. The same thing, big and small, colorful. People only see products of one size and one color, just because this variety is widely planted by human beings. When various tomato varieties cross each other, they can produce tomatoes of different colors and sizes, such as crimson, pink, yellow and green. These are normal things and have nothing to do with genetic modification. Just like human hybrids are a concept.

? Besides, it is not unusual for tomatoes to be stored for a week, which is related to varieties, storage temperature and maturity. For example, some tomatoes with thin skin can be preserved for a short time, while those with thick skin can be preserved for a long time. If they are not fully mature, they will be stored for a long time. Many fruits and vegetables can be preserved for a long time even if they are not refrigerated, such as unopened watermelons, whole onions, carrots and wax gourd. In order to sell vegetables well, farmers can afford long-distance transportation. They usually choose tomato varieties with thick skins, and at the same time, they will not pick and box them when they are fully mature, and then they will be sent to all parts of the country by vendors. In the process of transportation, tomatoes will gradually mature on their own, which is the same as bananas. If it is fully mature, we can only take it to the nearest vegetable market for retail, and it is unrealistic for us to eat vegetables and fruits all over the country.

? Third, soybeans.

? There are indeed many genetically modified soybeans, but they are all processed foods, such as soybean oil, such as imported soybean oil. The United States is the largest producer of genetically modified food in the world, and more than 90% of its soybean oil is genetically modified, but China does not have it at present. Therefore, soybeans that are ubiquitous in China do not need to be genetically modified as long as they are not imported.

? Fourth, cucumber.

? It is ridiculous to say that the top flower of cucumber has thorns because of genetic modification. Anyone with a little common sense will know that cucumbers have thorns. Is this not normal? Is it abnormal? Normal cucumber, fresh cucumber is the top flower with thorns. My family is a farmer, and I remember that the clearest cry for selling things is: there are thorns on the top of the cucumber! Because it is fresh, because it has just been picked! So, Top! Flowers! Take it. Stab! It also includes some colored peppers, cucumbers and big strawberries, which are not genetically modified products. In fact, genetically modified foods often look normal, and it is impossible to judge whether they are genetically modified products by color or size.

? V. Hybrid rice

? Hybrid rice is not genetically modified. Transgenic technology, like hybrid technology, cultivates crops with excellent characters through gene transfer. The difference is that hybrid breeding realizes complementary advantages through the mutual exchange of genes in the same organism. In the process of hybridization, genes are transferred in batches, and transgenic technology has a strong purpose and can realize specific gene transfer between species. The high-yield rice developed in Yuan Longping belongs to hybridization, not transgenic. I wonder how big Yuan Longping's psychological shadow area will be.

? How to judge genetic modification?

? The most ridiculous thing in the article I read is that anti-season fruits that can be eaten in any season are genetically modified. I wonder if it can be refrigerated now? Don't you know that there is a place called greenhouse where you can plant it all year round? When did our country fall behind to this extent? Do we northerners only eat stored Chinese cabbage and potatoes and radishes in winter? Let's take apples as an example. Apples can be stored in cold storage for 12 months, which has nothing to do with genes. It's just that people use the methods of lowering the temperature of cold storage and adjusting the gas composition to make apples enter a state similar to "hibernation" and reduce their respiration and aging process.

? At present, there are two kinds of genetically modified foods in China. One is genetically modified crops approved for commercial production in China, including papaya, sweet pepper, tomato, rice and corn. Among them, the common sweet pepper and tomato are not regenerated because of obsolescence, and rice and corn are not commercialized. Another case is that China imported genetically modified agricultural products used as raw materials for processing, including soybeans, corn and rape, among which the most common is genetically modified soybean oil, and the imported soybean oil is basically genetically modified products.

? So basically no vegetables and fruits in China are genetically modified products. No matter what color and size, most of them are varieties obtained by traditional breeding methods. A slightly unconventional product is a product such as a big green pepper cultivated by taking seeds into space, but this has nothing to do with genetic modification. In other words, these breeding methods only transfer genes between different varieties, just like people of different nationalities combine to have children, or people are mutated by some external stimulus, which is still human genes in the final analysis. For example, genetically modified products transfer the genes of other organisms to people, so that people have the genes of a certain flower or a certain bacteria. This is obviously a completely different concept.

In particular, the United States is the largest producer of genetically modified foods in the world, and more than 90% of its soybean oil is genetically modified products, as well as rapeseed oil, potatoes, wheat and corn. , are batch genetically modified products. At the same time, the United States is also a big exporter of the above products. In addition, when it comes to genetic modification, people usually focus on the raw materials of agricultural products, especially fresh vegetables and fruits, but the fact is just the opposite-all the genetically modified ingredients in the China market come from processed products, especially those imported from the United States. For example, the French fries in American fast food restaurants are mostly genetically modified potatoes; Most of the oils used to make snacks are genetically modified soybean oil or hydrogenated genetically modified soybean oil; The flour they use to make hamburgers and hot dogs is also likely to be flour made from genetically modified wheat. For example, all kinds of delicious biscuits and cookies you eat are probably made of genetically modified oil, genetically modified flour, genetically modified corn flour and so on. The more foreign products, the greater the possibility.

There is another way for genetically modified foods to enter thousands of households, namely "blended oil" and soybean oil sold in the market. In the cheap blending oil, a large proportion often comes from genetically modified soybean oil in the United States. Because the price of this oil is lower than that of domestic soybean oil, it has penetrated into all restaurants and citizens' families. Therefore, consumers must read the instructions on the package carefully. If there is no statement that it does not contain genetically modified ingredients, it is likely to contain them.

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