genetically altered pigs

[lbrowne]

This is scary. I'd rather have my pork fresh and natural; adding flax to my diet adds in the omega 3's. Hmmm... why not experiment with feeding pigs flaxmeal?

~ Linda

This salmon has an `oink'

Genetically altered pork high in omega-3

By Denise Gellene
Los Angeles Times
Published March 27, 2006

If a new kind of pork makes it to the dinner table, healthy eaters might finally be free to, well, pig out.

Scientists using genetic engineering have produced pigs rich in omega-3 fatty acids, a kind of healthy fat abundant in many fish but not naturally found in meat.

The acids are believed to offer some protection against heart attacks, and federal nutrition guidelines recommend them in daily diets.

Questions remain, however. Because the research is in its early stages, no one has yet sampled the pigs to see if they still taste like pork.

Harvard University's Jing Kang, one of the scientists involved in the study, is confident the levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the new pigs aren't high enough to ruin the flavor.

"There should be no difference," he said, adding that, as far as he can tell, the pigs "don't smell fishy."

The team from Harvard, the University of Missouri and Pittsburg State University in Kansas used a gene from an earthworm, which naturally produces omega-3 fatty acids, to genetically modify their pigs.

Ten male piglets were born. DNA analysis showed that six had the earthworm gene, according to the study published online Sunday in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

Kang said the cloned pigs produced one-fifth the amount of omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, considered the best source of the healthy fat. But he said successive generations bred the old-fashioned way would likely produce higher amounts of omega-3.

Right now, the pigs have one copy of the earthworm gene, but through selective breeding, their progeny could acquire two.

"I am confident we can go much higher," said Kang, whose research was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Cancer Society.

Mark Boggess, director of animal sciences at the National Pork Board, offered some cautions. Higher omega-3 fatty acids "would probably have some bearing on the melting point and consistency of the fat and how firm it is at room temperature," he noted.

Getting the pigs to market could also be a challenge. The Food and Drug Administration has not allowed any genetically altered animals to enter the food chain.

Before clearing the meat for consumption, the FDA requires detailed biological information. "They treat them like they are a new drug," said University of Illinois professor Matthew Wheeler, who has been working on genetically engineered animals for 13 years.

[not2late]

The USDA funded a study that fed pigs a plant called purslane. Purslane has the highest amount of ALA (the same stuff flaxseed has) among all leafy, green vegetables.

Mention of the pig study:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/pro...405078&fy=2002

More about purslane:
http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/abstract/11/4/374
http://landscaping.about.com/cs/weed...a/purslane.htm

I find purslane to be a very nice vegetable and I grow a couple varieties every summer.

[cstraq]

I found the article interesting on the herb/weed you eat. Although I wouldn't know if I have any in my yard, I will certainly be looking for it in the store! Thanks!

I strongly believe that what an animal is fed increases the chemistry of the end result which we eat. A man I know feeds his cows bread to fatten them up faster - no thanks! Good nutrition to me is the green grass that God gave us and has given us for many years. It is not necessary to feed them grain unless your goal is to hurry up the process and get them to slaughter faster.

I know that was a tyrant in another direction - but it's meat related, right?

Anybody else go for grassfed over grainfed? It increases the Omega 3's over the 6's and a host of other benefits which I can't remember off hand. Lowers calories by quite a bit too.

[matawguro]

For some reason, I have this picture in my head of a genetically-altered flying pig with wings.