Substantial Equivalence Evaluation of CMV-Resistant GM Red Pepper In Terms of Fatty Acid Composition

³À½]" />

As a part of testing substantial equivalence of genetically modified (GM) peppers, CMV-resistant GM peppers were cultivated in two different fields, harvested at two different stages, separated into two parts: pericarp and seed + placenta parts, and their fatty acid composition was compared to native pepper line. In the case of pericarp 10 fatty acids could be detected and linoleic (35.14-37.74 %), palmitic (23.54 - 24.15 %), and linolenic acids (17.78-20.21 %) were major components. Among 10 detected, GM peppers showed significant difference in one  major fatty acids:  linoleic acid (35.14 %) as well as in two minor fatty acids: stearic (3.98 %) and palmitoleic (0.77 %) acids with the differences of (-)2.6 %, (-)0.24 % and (+)0.4 %, respectively compared to native line. Similarly, 11 fatty acids could be found in  seed + placenta part with major composition of linoleic (69.69-72.77 %), palmitic (13.45-15.48 %), and oleic (9.25-10.04 %) acids. Among 11 detected, palmitic acid (15.47 %) and arachidic acid (0.31 %) showed significant difference by (+) 2.03 % and (+) 0.05 %, respectively compared to native one.  In conclusion, most of the fatty acids showed no statistically significant difference with their native line with some exceptional cases, and even in such cases, the differences were less than 3 %, indicating the biological unimportance of such differences and hence suggest the GM peppers being equivalent to their native line.