**4.1 Nutritional testing of GM feed with GM soybean in target animal species**

Many studies with GM plants were carried out in target species to assess the nutritive value of the feed and their performance potential and were revealed no significant differences in performance indices and quality parameters of meat, eggs or milk, when farm animals were fed diets containing GM or conventional feeds (Aumaitre et al., 2004; Flachowsky et al., 2005a; Świątkiewicz S. & Świątkiewicz M., 2009). These studies have focused on livestock nutrition, in order to confirm nutritional equivalence and to obtain further information concerning the safety of animal products.

As regards monogastric livestock, many feeding studies with 1-day-old broiler chicks have been reported (EFSA, 2008), including GM lines of corn, soybean, canola and wheat and appropriate counterparts. Few experiments are available with laying hens (Aulrich et al., 2001; Halle et al., 2006) where GMOs were compared with near isogenic counterparts. McNaughton et al. (2011) compared the nutritional performance of laying hens fed corn grain (event DP-Ø9814Ø-6) and processed soybean meal (event DP-356Ø43-5), individually or in combination, with the performance of hens fed diets containing conventional corn and soybean meal. The performance (body weight, feed intake and egg production) and egg quality of hens fed GM feeds was comparable with that of hens fed diets formulated with conventional feed. In each study, chemical composition and nutritional value of GM lines and the near-isogenic non-GM lines were found to be comparable without biologically significant differences in the production parameters measured. Experiments with growing and laying quails were carried out to test diets with isogenic or GM Bt 176 corn (Flachowsky et al., 2005b; Halle et al., 2006). Health, hatchability and performance of quails and the quality of meat and eggs were unaffected by the diets. Improvements in livestock performance were noted significant with the diet containing Bt corn compared to diets containing conventional corn grain (Piva et al., 2001a, 2001b). The authors attributed the results to the fact that the use of Bt lines reduced secondary fungal infection and, as a consequence, reduced mycotoxin contamination. Research conducted with growing and finishing pigs (EFSA, 2008) including GM corn grain, sugar beet, soybean meal, rapeseed meal, rice and wheat, showed that when compositional analyses of GM lines and the nearisogenic non-GM line and commercial varieties were comparable, then nutritional equivalence was also established.

As regards ruminants, comparable performance of beef cattle fed corn grain, corn silage or stover from GM plants or from conventional plants is reported, and in dairy cows the inclusion in the diet of feed ingredients derived from a wide range of GM plants unaffected feed intake, milk yield and composition (EFSA, 2008). Milk quality is generally measured as the fat, protein and lactose concentration and as such there is no evidence to suggest that the inclusion of GM feed ingredients affects milk quality. As with other livestock species, studies with lactating dairy cows also showed that once compositional equivalence was demonstrated then nutritional equivalence occurred.

In any case, the results of this research arouse concerns in term of food safety, because other unpredictable metabolic effects, such as metabolic interferences, or direct or indirect insertional mutagenesis cannot be excluded. With this regards Seralini et al. (2011) report that by insertion of the transgene in varieties producing Cry1Ab toxin caused a complex recombination event, leading to the synthesis of new RNA products encoding unknown proteins, or/and to metabolic pathways variations which caused up to 50% changes in

Many studies with GM plants were carried out in target species to assess the nutritive value of the feed and their performance potential and were revealed no significant differences in performance indices and quality parameters of meat, eggs or milk, when farm animals were fed diets containing GM or conventional feeds (Aumaitre et al., 2004; Flachowsky et al., 2005a; Świątkiewicz S. & Świątkiewicz M., 2009). These studies have focused on livestock nutrition, in order to confirm nutritional equivalence and to obtain further information

As regards monogastric livestock, many feeding studies with 1-day-old broiler chicks have been reported (EFSA, 2008), including GM lines of corn, soybean, canola and wheat and appropriate counterparts. Few experiments are available with laying hens (Aulrich et al., 2001; Halle et al., 2006) where GMOs were compared with near isogenic counterparts. McNaughton et al. (2011) compared the nutritional performance of laying hens fed corn grain (event DP-Ø9814Ø-6) and processed soybean meal (event DP-356Ø43-5), individually or in combination, with the performance of hens fed diets containing conventional corn and soybean meal. The performance (body weight, feed intake and egg production) and egg quality of hens fed GM feeds was comparable with that of hens fed diets formulated with conventional feed. In each study, chemical composition and nutritional value of GM lines and the near-isogenic non-GM lines were found to be comparable without biologically significant differences in the production parameters measured. Experiments with growing and laying quails were carried out to test diets with isogenic or GM Bt 176 corn (Flachowsky et al., 2005b; Halle et al., 2006). Health, hatchability and performance of quails and the quality of meat and eggs were unaffected by the diets. Improvements in livestock performance were noted significant with the diet containing Bt corn compared to diets containing conventional corn grain (Piva et al., 2001a, 2001b). The authors attributed the results to the fact that the use of Bt lines reduced secondary fungal infection and, as a consequence, reduced mycotoxin contamination. Research conducted with growing and finishing pigs (EFSA, 2008) including GM corn grain, sugar beet, soybean meal, rapeseed meal, rice and wheat, showed that when compositional analyses of GM lines and the nearisogenic non-GM line and commercial varieties were comparable, then nutritional

As regards ruminants, comparable performance of beef cattle fed corn grain, corn silage or stover from GM plants or from conventional plants is reported, and in dairy cows the inclusion in the diet of feed ingredients derived from a wide range of GM plants unaffected feed intake, milk yield and composition (EFSA, 2008). Milk quality is generally measured as the fat, protein and lactose concentration and as such there is no evidence to suggest that the inclusion of GM feed ingredients affects milk quality. As with other livestock species, studies with lactating dairy cows also showed that once compositional equivalence was

**4.1 Nutritional testing of GM feed with GM soybean in target animal species** 

measured osmolytes and branched aminoacids.

concerning the safety of animal products.

equivalence was also established.

demonstrated then nutritional equivalence occurred.


Finally, the production studies carried out with fish provided similar conclusions to those drawn from studies conducted with other livestock species (EFSA, 2008).

Table 3. Some experiments carried out to establish the qualitative and quantitative performance of monogastric or ruminant livestock fed with GM soybean. BWG: Body Weight Gain; ADG: Average Daily Gain; FCR: Feed Conversion Ratio.
