Stacked Genetically Engineered Trait Products Produced by Conventional Breeding Reflect the Compositional Profiles of Their Component Single Trait Products

Abstract

An expanding trend for genetically engineered (GE) crops is to cultivate varieties in which two or more single trait products have been combined using conventional breeding to produce a stacked trait product that provides a useful grouping of traits. Here, we report results from compositional analysis of several GE stacked trait products from maize and soybean. The results demonstrate that these products are each compositionally equivalent to a relevant non-GE comparator variety, except for predictable shifts in the fatty acid profile in the case of stacked trait products that contain a trait, MON 87705, that confers a high-oleic-acid phenotype in soybean. In each case, the conclusion on compositional equivalence for the stacked trait product reflects the conclusions obtained for the single trait products. These results provide strong support for conducting a reassessment of those regulatory guidelines that mandate explicit characterization of stacked trait products produced through conventional breeding.

Keywords: composition; conventional breeding; genetically engineered crops; stacked trait product.