91色情片

The company鈥檚 chief technology officer on how the agri-biotech giant is reinventing itself.

So far, selling genetically modified food seems to have benefited Monsanto more than consumers. Will that change?

Within the next couple of years our plants will have several traits with direct consumer benefits. We have introduced two genes that allow soybeans to produce about 20 per cent of their oil as an omega-3 fatty acid. It doesn鈥檛 have the fishy odours that are normally associated with the breakdown of omega-3s and means companies can formulate foods with direct benefits for cardiovascular health.

What types of foods might contain this oil?

We鈥檝e created yoghurts, soy milks, we can do salad dressings and we are working on energy bars. There鈥檚 even an opportunity to coat pastries and bread products. We鈥檙e working with a partner company called that has a broad experience of bringing soy ingredients to food companies.

Do you have any other nutrition products in the pipeline?

We鈥檝e altered the soybean oil biochemical pathway so that it produces less trans-fat and less of the saturated fats that also have a negative cardiovascular effect. Effectively we have made soybean oil the same as olive oil in terms of its healthiness. We have consulted with nutrition groups, who recognise the benefits of this product. It鈥檚 called , and we鈥檙e working with food companies to use it to cook French fries, make salad dressings and more.

What about improving agricultural yields? Critics argue that biotech has yet to deliver.

Everyone knows the challenges that agriculture faces: food security, global warming, use of water, use of grains for biofuels. As the population continues to increase, some say we鈥檒l need to double production of grain.

Monsanto is on the verge of launching a new set of genes that can provide drought protection and is also working to improve fertiliser efficiency. Changes in plant breeding may be even more dramatic. We now know all the genes in a corn plant. That opens the door for breeders to make very precise crosses. Then there鈥檚 automation: we have robots that can pick up individual seeds and shave off a small sample for DNA analysis, increasing the efficiency of what a breeder can do by thousands of times.

We鈥檙e also seeing dramatic changes in the agronomic system. Tractors being sold now have GPS systems, so farmers can plant the seed precisely where the fertiliser is. As a result of all these advances, we think it will be possible to double yields from 2000 levels for cotton, corn, soybean and canola by 2030.

Monsanto has often been attacked by environmentalists. Do you think you鈥檒l ever find common ground?

There are groups that are anti-biotechnology and with whom there will never be a meeting of minds. But we have had partnerships with environmental groups in the US and South America. In addition, we already supply vegetable seeds to the organic market.