CRISPR-Cas and Its Applications in Food Production

The increasing global population and decline in the availability of new arable land and water resources, along with environmental change, have created many challenges for the food industry. As per estimates, nearly 8% of the world population may get affected by malnutrition and starvation by 2030. The challenges faced by the food industry require the effective production of crops and vegetables with enhanced nutritional values and a higher shelf life. Traditional methods including breeding and hybridization are now being replaced by genetically modified crops. Advanced methods such as CRISPR-Cas derived from the bacterial immune system have been widely used for genome editing and creation of new varieties of crops for their straightforward design, high efficiency, good reproducibility, and quick cycle. CRISPR differs from the classical GM crop production technique, which inserts exogenous or foreign DNA from a vector into the plant genome; instead, it can be used to remove any undesired gene from the plant genome using its precise mechanism to cut the DNA; therefore, crops produced by this method are more ethically acceptable. In this chapter, we described basic aspects related to CRISPR including its biology, genomic organization, mechanism, and merits. Furthermore, the application of CRISPR-Cas technology for increasing crop yield and quality and for enhancing the resistance against viruses, bacteria, fungi, and bioactive compound production in crops such as rice, wheat, soybeans, fruits, and vegetables such as potato and tomato is also discussed. Furthermore, safety regulations pertaining to the use of CRISPR-modified food products are also highlighted by discussing regulations in several regions across the globe.