Amflora
Encyclopedia
Amflora is a genetically modified
potato
owned by BASF Plant Science
. Amflora was approved for industrial applications in the European Union market on 2 March 2010 by the European Commission
.
Lennart Erjefält and agronomist
Jüri Känno of Svalöf Weibull AB.
currently used.
Natural potato starch
is used for papermaking
and other applications, and contains two constituent substances: amylopectin
(80%), which is useful for industry, and amylose
(20%) which often creates problems for industrial applications and therefore must be separated with chemical reactions that cost a lot of money.
After two decades of research efforts, BASF's biotechnologists
using genetic engineering
succeeded in creating a potato, named Amflora, where the gene responsible for the synthesis of amylose has been turned off and thus the potato is unable to synthesize the undesirable substance, amylose; therefore Amflora is planned to be sold to industries that need waxy potato starch
without amylose. Europe produces more than two million metric tons of natural potato starch a year, and BASF with its Amflora product hopes to enter into this large market.
.
, disagreed with the introduction of the Amflora genetically modified potato into the market and the licensing procedures by the European Commission were going too slow, prompting a BASF scientist to remark on New York Times that "it's hard when you see an innovative product go through the loops again and again. These decisions are not about science but about politics". After the potato was approved, the European Greens political party and the Italian agricultural minister criticized the approval. The International Peasant Movement La Via Campesina made a press release on 8 March 2010 also criticizing the decision.
for the A Thessalonikis prefecture Tasos Kouvelis asked Greek minister of agriculture on 3 March 2010 to declare the production of the potato illegal in Greece
, while on 4 March 2010 PASOK's European Member of Parliament Kriton Arsenis
submitted a question at Europarl asking about the consequences of Amflora.
PASOK's member of Europarl Maria Damanaki
accepted the decision of the European Commission, while Greek agriculture minister Katerina Batzeli said that the production of Amflora will not be allowed in Greece
.
with a 74% threshold of support. Two rounds of voting were carried, first by experts in December 2006 and then by the agricultural ministers in July 2007, but both failed to reach the 74% threshold. Albeit the voting was by secret ballot
, it was claimed by New York Times that Amflora was supported by the agricultural ministers of Germany
and Belgium
, and was opposed by the agricultural ministers of Italy
, Ireland
, and Austria
, while the agricultural ministers of France
and Bulgaria
preferred to abstain from voting.
After the licence was given on 2 March 2010, BASF announced its intention to ask for approval of more varieties of genetically modified potatoes, such as the Fortuna potato.
's Western Pomerania (20 hectares), Sweden
(80 hectares), and Czechia (150 hectares). 14 hectares were harvested in Western Pomerania at the end of August 2010.
PASOK's member of Europarl Maria Damanaki
accepted the decision of the European Commission, while Greek agriculture minister Katerina Batzeli said that the production of Amflora will not be allowed in Greece
.
, a European association of biotech industries which also includes BASF as a member, Amflora, as a European product, could strengthen Europe's potato starch industry and protect European starch business against non-European competitors. Europe has a large produce of potato starch, which is used for paper products, packaging, and adhesives.
Genetically modified organism
A genetically modified organism or genetically engineered organism is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one...
potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
owned by BASF Plant Science
BASF Plant Science
BASF Plant Science is a subsidiary of BASF in which all plant biotechnology activities are consolidated. The headquarters of BASF Plant Science are located in the BASF Agrarzentrum Limburgerhof Germany and in Research Triangle Park North Carolina USA...
. Amflora was approved for industrial applications in the European Union market on 2 March 2010 by the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
.
History
Originally registered on , Amflora was developed by geneticistGeneticist
A geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer. Some geneticists perform experiments and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of skills. A geneticist is also a Consultant or...
Lennart Erjefält and agronomist
Agronomist
An agronomist is a scientist who specializes in agronomy, which is the science of utilizing plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. An agronomist is an expert in agricultural and allied sciences, with the exception veterinary sciences.Agronomists deal with interactions between plants, soils, and...
Jüri Känno of Svalöf Weibull AB.
Industrial applications
Amflora is intended for industrial applications as potato starch which is better than the natural starchStarch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...
currently used.
Natural potato starch
Potato starch
Potato starch is starch extracted from potatoes. The cells of the root tubers of the potato plant contain starch grains . To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed; the starch grains are released from the destroyed cells...
is used for papermaking
Papermaking
Papermaking is the process of making paper, a substance which is used universally today for writing and packaging.In papermaking a dilute suspension of fibres in water is drained through a screen, so that a mat of randomly interwoven fibres is laid down. Water is removed from this mat of fibres by...
and other applications, and contains two constituent substances: amylopectin
Amylopectin
Amylopectin is a soluble polysaccharide and highly branched polymer of glucose found in plants. It is one of the two components of starch, the other being amylose.Glucose units are linked in a linear way with α glycosidic bonds...
(80%), which is useful for industry, and amylose
Amylose
Amylose is a linear polymer made up of D-glucose units.This polysaccharide is one of the two components of starch, making up approximately 2-30% of the structure...
(20%) which often creates problems for industrial applications and therefore must be separated with chemical reactions that cost a lot of money.
After two decades of research efforts, BASF's biotechnologists
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
using genetic engineering
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
succeeded in creating a potato, named Amflora, where the gene responsible for the synthesis of amylose has been turned off and thus the potato is unable to synthesize the undesirable substance, amylose; therefore Amflora is planned to be sold to industries that need waxy potato starch
Waxy potato starch
Waxy potato starch is a new species of starch only containing amylopectin molecules, extracted from new potato varieties. Standard starch extracted from traditional potato varieties contains both amylose and amylopectin....
without amylose. Europe produces more than two million metric tons of natural potato starch a year, and BASF with its Amflora product hopes to enter into this large market.
Other possible uses
According to New York Times, BASF has a second application pending for use of Amflora's potato pulp as animal feedCompound feed
Compound feeds are feedstuffs that are blended from various raw materials and additives. These blends are formulated according to the specific requirements of the target animal...
.
Political disagreements
Various environmental organizations, such as GreenpeaceGreenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
, disagreed with the introduction of the Amflora genetically modified potato into the market and the licensing procedures by the European Commission were going too slow, prompting a BASF scientist to remark on New York Times that "it's hard when you see an innovative product go through the loops again and again. These decisions are not about science but about politics". After the potato was approved, the European Greens political party and the Italian agricultural minister criticized the approval. The International Peasant Movement La Via Campesina made a press release on 8 March 2010 also criticizing the decision.
Reactions by Greek politicians
After Amflora's licensing by the European Commission on 2 March 2010, SYRIZA's Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the A Thessalonikis prefecture Tasos Kouvelis asked Greek minister of agriculture on 3 March 2010 to declare the production of the potato illegal in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, while on 4 March 2010 PASOK's European Member of Parliament Kriton Arsenis
Kriton Arsenis
Kriton Arsenis is a Member of the European Parliament for the Panhellenic Socialist Movement since July 2009.-Early life:He was born in Thessaloniki, Greece...
submitted a question at Europarl asking about the consequences of Amflora.
PASOK's member of Europarl Maria Damanaki
Maria Damanaki
Maria Damanaki is a Greek politician, former president of the Synaspismos party of the radical left and currently a state member of the Hellenic Parliament within the Panhellenic Socialist Movement ....
accepted the decision of the European Commission, while Greek agriculture minister Katerina Batzeli said that the production of Amflora will not be allowed in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
The licensing procedure
Amflora could not be sold within the European Union without approval, and the licence could only be given after voting at the Council of Ministers of the European UnionCouncil of the European Union
The Council of the European Union is the institution in the legislature of the European Union representing the executives of member states, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The Council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers...
with a 74% threshold of support. Two rounds of voting were carried, first by experts in December 2006 and then by the agricultural ministers in July 2007, but both failed to reach the 74% threshold. Albeit the voting was by secret ballot
Secret ballot
The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
, it was claimed by New York Times that Amflora was supported by the agricultural ministers of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and was opposed by the agricultural ministers of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, while the agricultural ministers of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
preferred to abstain from voting.
After the licence was given on 2 March 2010, BASF announced its intention to ask for approval of more varieties of genetically modified potatoes, such as the Fortuna potato.
Agricultural production of the potato
After the European Commission's approval of the potato, BASF announced that it is going to produce Amflora starting in April 2010 in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's Western Pomerania (20 hectares), Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(80 hectares), and Czechia (150 hectares). 14 hectares were harvested in Western Pomerania at the end of August 2010.
PASOK's member of Europarl Maria Damanaki
Maria Damanaki
Maria Damanaki is a Greek politician, former president of the Synaspismos party of the radical left and currently a state member of the Hellenic Parliament within the Panhellenic Socialist Movement ....
accepted the decision of the European Commission, while Greek agriculture minister Katerina Batzeli said that the production of Amflora will not be allowed in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Possible economic consequences after the introduction of the potato
According to EuropaBioEuropaBio
EuropaBio is Europe's largest and most influential biotech industry group, whose members include Monsanto, Bayer and other biotechnology companies...
, a European association of biotech industries which also includes BASF as a member, Amflora, as a European product, could strengthen Europe's potato starch industry and protect European starch business against non-European competitors. Europe has a large produce of potato starch, which is used for paper products, packaging, and adhesives.
External links
- http://www.basf.com/group/corporate/en/products-and-industries/biotechnology/plant-biotechnology/amflora
- http://www.gmo-safety.eu/science/potato/263.amflora-potato-industrial-applications-starch-potatoes-renewable-raw-material.html Amflora - a potato for industrial applications.
- http://www.europabio.org/PressReleases/green/PR_061202_GM_potato.pdf
- http://amflora.de/