Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Environment

Abstract

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or transgenic organisms are those whose genetic material has been altered for the production of desired biological products. GMOs are simply the most developed application of modern biotechnology in terms of research, commercialization, adoption, and regulation. Plants, animals, and microorganisms have all been genetically modified by various transformation methods for several purposes with medicinal, agricultural, environmental, and more recently industrial applications. Genetically modified (GM) plants are the predominant largest class of GMOs introduced into the environment for food and feed production. These are theorized to reduce production costs due to reduced chemical and mechanical needs in planting, maintenance, and harvest. It is possible that this saving could be passed onto the consumer. Additional benefits to the consumers are the potential nutrition implications. GMO technology allows the creation of foods that are more nutrient dense. GMOs have many more applications but its total benefits have not yet been fully explored. So there is a need to increase the potential of researcher to generate the information to normalizing more benefits of GMOs in medical, agricultural, environmental, and industrial fields for sustainable future. This chapter summarizes GMOs, its types, labeling, applications, and health impact on human being.