Benefits to Consumers

When biotechnology affects a plant’s genetic ability to express desirable characteristics, the results are called second-generation benefits. The traits involved in these transformed events are often called output traits, because they help define the end product, or output, that will likely offer consumers even greater and more direct benefits than input traits.

Some of the most successful and promising applications of these advancements in plant biotechnology include:

• End products nutritionally enhanced with vitamins, iron and essential amino acids
• Biodegradable plastics
• Low-saturated and trans-fat free cooking oils
• Industrial feedstocks
• Plant-based industrial oils
• Plant-based specialty chemicals
• Plant-cell-produced vaccines

These short-term rewards will be complemented by the long-term benefits of being derived from plant-based, renewable and environmentally favorable sources.

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