Genetically engineered (GE) Bt eggplant (talong): health risks, environmental impacts and contamination from field trials
Genetically engineered (GE, also called genetically modified, GM) Bt eggplant (also called talong, brinjal or aubergine) has been engineered to be resistant to injury caused by the eggplant fruit and shoot borer. A genetic cassette containing genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringenesis has been inserted into the DNA of the eggplant so that it produces a protein called Cry1Ac, which is a toxin. However, there are major concerns regarding the impact of this toxin on human and animal health and the environment. It is inevitable that contamination will arise from any field trials of this GM eggplant.