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Rapid degradation of the Cry3Bb1 protein from Diabrotica ‐resistant Bt‐corn MON88017 during ensilation and fermentation in biogas production facilities
Author(s) -
Rauschen Stefan,
Nguyen Hang Thu,
Schuphan Ingolf,
Jehle Johannes A,
Eber Sabine
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.3269
Subject(s) - silage , genetically modified maize , biogas , agronomy , fermentation , genetically modified crops , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , food science , transgene , ecology , biochemistry , gene
BACKGROUND: Insect‐resistant transgenic corn is meeting a growing adoption in Europe. Corn is also the major substrate for biogas production, which has vastly increased in recent years. In areas with high insect pest pressure Bt‐corn silage will consequently be fed into biogas production facilities. To assess the potential risks of transgenic plants as energy crops we investigated the fate of the coleopteran‐specific protein Cry3Bb1 from MON88017 corn in the utilization chain of a farm‐scale biogas production facility using ELISA. RESULTS: The mean Cry3Bb1 protein content in chaffed MON88017 plant material was 15 µg g −1 . In silage the content decreased rapidly, with less than 20 ng g −1 detectable after 8 months. From the start of fermentation in the biogas reactor, only trace amounts of Cry3Bb1 could be detected. Conventional corn harvested alongside MON88017 with the same equipment showed a presence of transgenic plant material of around 0.5%. Analyses performed at two laboratories showed consistent and systematic differences in the concentrations of Cry3Bb1 measured with ELISA due to methodical differences. CONCLUSIONS: An extensive degradation of Cry3Bb1 was observed in silage despite differences in ELISA measurements. The potential risk associated with the use of MON88017 silage is discussed on this basis. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry