More than 80% of genetically modified (GM) crops worldwide are designed to withstand glyphosate herbicides. Regulators approve these GM crops based on the concept that they are “substantially equivalent” to their non-GM counterparts. This assumption was examined through a comparative study involving three types of soybeans: GM glyphosate-tolerant soy, non-GM soy grown with conventional chemical inputs, and organic non-GM soy. All samples were cultivated in Iowa, USA (Bøhn et al., 2013).
Results revealed that the GM soybeans contained significant levels of glyphosate residues and its metabolite, AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic acid. It is a primary degradation product of glyphosate, the active ingredient in many herbicides, including Roundup™); while conventional and organic soybeans had none of these residues. Furthermore, the organic soybeans demonstrated a superior nutritional profile, with higher levels of sugars such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, and maltose. They also contained significantly more protein and zinc and less fiber compared to both conventional and GM soybeans. Additionally, organic soy had lower total saturated fats and omega-6 fatty acids than the other two groups.
Published research thus evaluated 35 distinct nutritional factors to characterise each type of soybean, successfully distinguishing between GM, conventional, and organic samples without any overlap. The findings indicate that GM glyphosate-tolerant soy is not “substantially equivalent” to non-GM soy, not only due to the herbicide residues but also because of its unique nutritional composition (Bøhn et al., 2013).
Reference
Bøhn, T., Cuhra, M., Traavik, T., Sanden, M., Fagan, J., & Primicerio, R. (2013). Compositional differences in soybeans on the market: Glyphosate accumulates in Roundup Ready GM soybeans. Food Chemistry. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.12.054.