Food Safety of Proteins in Agricultural Biotechnology

With contributions from internationally recognized experts, Food Safety of Proteins in Agricultural Biotechnology comprehensively addresses how toxicology testing of proteins should be accomplished and how protein safety assessments should be carried out. Beginning with a background on protein biology, the book delineates the fundamental differences among proteins and small molecular weight chemicals that impact their safety assessment. It discusses the life cycle of proteins and explains why some protein toxins exert toxic effects and others do not. Drawing attention to the increasingly popular insect-protected Bt crops, contributions provide a detailed history of the safety assessment and environmental impact of these crops and answer many safety questions. The editors include the safety assessment process developed for enzymes, one of the earliest applications of proteins in food processing and production. The book addresses protein pharmaceuticals, focusing on the unique challenges of testing protein therapeutics in humans. It summarizes the food safety issues and controversies surrounding the use of bST to increase milk production in dairy cows. This unique volume also provides nuts and bolts information on conducting safety tests such as how to confirm that an introduced protein does not fit the profile of known allergens, how to carry out dietary exposure assessments for proteins introduced into food crops, and how to use sources of food consumption databases that are available internationally. It provides four case studies on the safety assessment of proteins of different structure and function to be introduced into biotechnology-derived agricultural crops. The final chapter is a review and distillation of the previously presented information on protein safety assessments and provides strategies for the safety assessment of future biotech products under development.