Genetic engineering

Even if a wide range of non biotechnological techniques are currently being used to alter food products, including engineered foods, aseptic processing, extrusion, hydroponics, intermediate moisture foods, micro-encapsulation, supercritical fluids extraction and, like the ingredient technology, are commonly well accepted, however, the novel foods which have drawn the most debate are those made using biotechnology. Ingredient technology includes fat substitutes, which could include fat  products that are made from genetically engineered plants. Sweeteners are considered food additives, and can be an example: the thaumatins are a class of intensely sweet proteins isolated from the fruit of the tropical plant Thaumatococcus danielli. Thaumatin is approved for use in many countries and has application as both a flavor enhancer and a high-intensity sweetener. The gene encoding thaumatin has been introduced into plants (potatoes) and microorganisms under transcriptional control of heterologous gene promoters. Yields to date have been low, but commercially viable levels are expected. The thaumatin gene can also be engineered directly into selected fruit and vegetable crops to improve their flavor and sweetness.

Another group of products that are made from genetically modified organisms are food additives, such as amino acid supplements. Vitamins and food supplements and traditional medicinal foods are often unregulated. Health foods include high fiber, reduced fat, reduced energy, reduced caffeine, sodium and alcohol, low cholesterol, and calcium fortified foods. These components can also be sold as food supplements. The boundaries between foods and medicines may be made more cloudy with the introduction of edible vaccines. Vaccines can be genetically expressed in plants, such as banana or potato, and these may allow low cost distribution of these medicinal foods.

The benefits that are hoped for from genetic engineering include increased productivity of crops, increased productivity of plants, improving quality of crops, including nutritional quality and storage properties.

Altering the nutritional content of foodstuff could lead to include specific vitamin contents such as Vitamin A in the foodstuff, and also the type and content of fiber may eventually be manipulated. Sulfur-containing amino acids have been added, for example, to maize to increase the protein quality. Caffeine also might be eliminated in the source plant, eliminating current processing steps that add cost and that lessen flavor and nutrition. Fat components have already been modified for healthier diets.