A recent study published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as a supporting publication has revealed that certain genetic criteria may determine the food safety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and could lay the groundwork for developing new methods to assess the risks of genetically engineered food and feed.
The study involved an extensive review of literature on Open Reading Frames (ORFs) relevant to the risk assessment of GMOs. ORFs are specific, separate pieces of an organism’s DNA and RNA that determine which proteins that organism produces. In food and feed, these proteins may contain allergens or toxins. In their literature review, the researchers aimed to identify methods to accurately predict whether ORFs in GMOs would express any protein, which is critical to understanding the safety of a food or feed.