3-Food: Wine industry advice is 'no' to GMO

[GENET <coordination@genet-info.org>]

                                 PART I
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TITLE:  Wine industry advice is 'no' to GMO
SOURCE: South African Wine
        http://www.wine.co.za/News/news.aspx?NEWSID=7666&Source=News
DATE:   23 Nov 2005

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Wine industry advice is 'no' to GMO

Genetically modified wine yeasts have arrived on the North American
market; what does this mean for the Australian industry? An official
press release received from the Australian Wine Research Institute.

Until now, the GMO debate has largely been academic for Australian grape
growers and winemakers but this is likely to change: Springer Oenologie
(a division of Lesaffre Yeast Corporation) has released the first GM wine
yeast, known as ML01, to the North American market.

For the time being release of ML01 to the North American market should
make little or no difference to what is done in Australia; this yeast has
not been approved for use in this country. Before GMOs (and GMO-derived
products) can be used in food production or processing in Australia they
are subjected to prescribed risk assessments and there is considerable
public consultation required during this process.

In addition to this, even if a GM yeast was to get through the above
approvals processes, it still would not be used to make wine in
Australia; at least not at this time. The Australian wine industry's
position on the application of gene technology in grape and wine
production is: ... that no genetically modified organisms be used in the
production of Australian wine. The reason for this is not that the
industry is anti-GM but rather that it acknowledges the importance of
safety and public acceptance before adopting any new technology in wine
production. The industry takes the view that: ' ... there are potentially
great benefits in employing gene technology ... ' however ' ... the
industry is also conscious of the need for safety, openness and quality
assurance in any use of gene technology'.

In this context it is important to note that U.S. legislation does not
require labeling to notify the consumer that Springer Oenologie's ML01
yeast is a GMO. Therefore it is important for Australian winemakers to be
vigilant in case some ML01 does find its way here.

Whether the Australian wine industry's position on use of GMOs in
winemaking is likely to change in the foreseeable future depends on the
balance between risks and benefits associated with using such yeasts and
whether local and overseas markets are seen to be ready to accept wines
that have been made using GMOs.

What are the risks associated with using ML01? In terms of health risks
there should be none. The two foreign genes incorporated into the wine
yeast to make it MLF-competent come from organisms that are typically
associated with foods and/or beverages. One comes from the yeast
Schizosaccharomyces pombe, which is found in many alcoholic beverages,
and the other comes from O. oeni, which is used routinely in the wine
industry for MLF. A great deal of work has been done to show that the two
genes are stable in their new background and the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration designated it a GRAS (generally recognised as safe)
organism in their response to Lesaffre's submission to that office
(although it should be pointed out that 'GRAS' is not recognised as a
global standard).

It would seem from balancing some of the more obvious risks and benefits
associated with the use of ML01, that having access to this yeast might
be a good thing for Australian winemakers. However, even if ML01 was to
be approved by Australian authorities for use in this country, public
acceptance of GMOs in domestic and overseas markets remains a major
hurdle, and until the industry can be assured of this it will toe a
cautious line. Thus, for now it is important to adhere to the Australian
Wine Industry's position that no genetically modified organisms be used
in the production of Australian wine.


Further information:
Dr Paul Chambers, Principal Molecular Biologist, The Australian Wine
Research Institut
Telephone: 08 8303 6600; email: paul.chambers@awri.com.au
or
Rae Blair, Manager - Communication and Information Services, The
Australian Wine Research Institute
Telephone: 08 8303 6600; email: rae.blair@awri.com.au


                                 PART II
------------------------------- GENET-news -------------------------------

TITLE:  Current Topics
SOURCE: The Australian Wine Research Institute
        http://www.awri.com.au/infoservice/current/
DATE:   access on 23 Nov 2005

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Current Topics

[...]

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are not used in the Australian wine
industry.

The Australian wine industry has a strong reputation for producing some
of the best wines in the world at affordable prices. This has been
achieved through continuous innovation combined with the use of time-
honoured traditional practices. We will continue to explore new
developments in all areas of science and apply these where there are
clear benefits to consumers and acceptance by society.

At present, to the best of our knowledge, no genetically modified grapes
or yeasts are used in the production of Australian wines.

There will be no commercial use of genetically modified organisms to
produce Australian wine until it is clear that they are safe, of high
quality and beneficial to consumers.

To obtain the Australian wine industry's position on gene technology
click here (78 kb PDF file). (Most recent update posted September 2003).
http://www.wfa.org.au/PDF/GMO Statement.pdf

Sakkie Pretorius
Managing Director, The Australian Wine Research Institute

[...]


                                 PART III
------------------------------- GENET-news -------------------------------

TITLE: New Yeasts for 2004
SOURCE: Wine Business Monthly IX (7), USA

DATE:   1 Jul 2004

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New Products
New Yeasts for 2004

[...]

Another new Lesaffre product, ML-01, was developed and patented by Hennie
Van Vuuren, chair of food biotechnology and director of the British
Columbia Wine Research Center (see "Changing the Code, Genetically
Modified Vines and Yeasts Pit Science Against Emotion," WBM, December
2003). It is a modified yeast that performs both alcoholic and malolactic
fermentations simultaneously, eliminating the need for a lengthy
secondary fermentation, or the addition of commercial bacteria, which are
capable of producing allergens such as histamines.

Consumers sensitive to bio-amines are unlikely to get headaches when
drinking wines produced with the ML01 yeast. This genetically modified
strain has been accepted as "Generally Regarded as Safe" (GRAS) by the
Food and Drug Administration and can be used without restriction in the
US market. Harrity said he thinks it will be a useful tool for those who
choose it. This yeast speeds up throughput by eliminating lingering
secondary fermentations, so one might expect the first users to include
the largest wineries seeking speed and consistency. Harrity said,
however, because much of California's Central Valley production goes into
the bulk wine market and can eventually wind up in blends bound for the
EU (where GMOs are prohibited), large wineries have been cautious. "This
is a case where we're still searching for a pioneer," Harrity said. "I
think the first usage of this product will probably be with smaller,
independent wineries whose output is domestically consumed and are more
readily able to embrace this exciting new technology."

Contact American Tartaric Products: 707-836-6840, 914-834-1881 (East Coast),
www.americantartaric.com

[...]




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