Animal Health and Food Safety Analyses of Six Offspring of a Genome-Edited Hornless Bull
Josephine F. Trott, Amy Young, Bret R. McNabb, Xiang Yang, Thomas Bishop, Alison L. Van Eenennaam
Abstract
Risk assessments of genetically modified animals include evaluating animal health and whether food products are safe and nutritious. We gathered empirical data on the health, growth, and nutritional composition of animal products from six offspring of a genome-edited (GnEd) bull homozygous for the dominant P C POLLED allele. These offspring did not differ in their growth, health, or development compared with controls. All nutrient values in the meat from control and GnEd offspring fell within the range found in beef databases. Milk composition varied within controls, between control and GnEd offspring, and over time; however, all values except sulfur percentage were within peer-reviewed literature ranges. Both meat and milk composition are influenced by breed, nutrition, parity, and days in milk. These data suggest that regulatory product composition studies should be hypothesis driven, risk based, and be prompted by novel product hazards hypothesized to result from any biochemical pathways targeted by the intended alteration.