Organic or Non-GMO soy wax

[rjdaines]

I can add some info to this since I am a molecular biologist and have done extensive research into GMOs (making them). The above PCR analysis is valid to a limited extent and is frequently used in schools to teach PCR but you need soy flour. PCR is a technique that amplifies small quantities of DNA into larger amounts which can then be studied. The first problem here is that the 35S promoter is not the only one in use; second is that the DNA is required to do the test and the fact that soy oil is purified and then chemically processed to become soy wax, the likelihood of DNA being present is slim. Third, what people are concerned about is not the DNA but the proteins that are made from the DNA, this is what people are potentially allergic too. None of those will be present in soy wax because the what I stated above, soy wax is a refined and processed material. In other words, none of the markers that we can use to tell us if the soy wax is GMO or not are not present in soy wax. A negative result does not eliminate the possibility that the wax came from GMO soy.

If a wax producer uses 100% USDA certified Organic Soy, then they may be able to claim non-GMO, that is provided the crop is not contaminated with GMO soy from a neighboring farm or other slip ups in the supply chain such as in grain storage.

[Beth]

"since I am a molecular biologist"

That alone makes my brain hurt

[Chefmom]

I can add some info to this since I am a molecular biologist and have done extensive research into GMOs (making them). The above PCR analysis is valid to a limited extent and is frequently used in schools to teach PCR but you need soy flour. PCR is a technique that amplifies small quantities of DNA into larger amounts which can then be studied. The first problem here is that the 35S promoter is not the only one in use; second is that the DNA is required to do the test and the fact that soy oil is purified and then chemically processed to become soy wax, the likelihood of DNA being present is slim. Third, what people are concerned about is not the DNA but the proteins that are made from the DNA, this is what people are potentially allergic too. None of those will be present in soy wax because the what I stated above, soy wax is a refined and processed material. In other words, none of the markers that we can use to tell us if the soy wax is GMO or not are not present in soy wax. A negative result does not eliminate the possibility that the wax came from GMO soy.

If a wax producer uses 100% USDA certified Organic Soy, then they may be able to claim non-GMO, that is provided the crop is not contaminated with GMO soy from a neighboring farm or other slip ups in the supply chain such as in grain storage.

Thank you! Do you mind if we memorize this for future communications with customers!!?? It is such a hard to explain topic and this nails it.

However, when you said "since I am a molecular biologist" I had an immediate flashback to Alton Brown's "Good Eats", when he says "But I'm not a Nutritional Anthropologist" and then Deb Duchon jumps in and says "...But I am!".

Great explanation with a horridly complex topic! :highfive:

[rjdaines]

Feel free to use any of it. Yes, the topic is complex and there seems to be no easy answers. Being "green" is more complex than people realize.

[PINKT]

On 2/22/2013 at 11:58 PM, mamacat said:

Sorry for my last post, it was cut off by my battery dying and I didn't realize it posted. I was on my tablet and must have touched submit before it turned off. Just disregard that little tangent lol, I guess the food allergies are why I'm sensitive to misleading labels, it is a big stress of mine.

Anyways, one of the companies I emailed last week wrote back and told me that I can find the organic wax at accu-blend.com. I'm trying to figure out what this wax is, it just says Accu-Veggie #44 Organic Container wax. Has anyone used or heard of it? They don't list what is in it but looking at the MSDS sheet it looks like it could be a parasoy blend? Am I reading this right? http://www.accu-blend.com/PDF%20Files/all_nat-organic_msds.pdf

Thanks again for the help!

This wax is a blend of SOY/COCONUT/PALM