Genetic engineering and food production <br />Dr. Asma'a Hassan Mohamed <br /> Genetic engineering is one of the most important technologies under the term biotechnology which consist of two parts, the first ''Bio" it means life or living systems, and the second ''Technology" it means the scientific method to achieve a scientific goal or purpose. Before addressing the definition of genetic engineering, must define biotechnology. As a broad definition, it means the synthesis of all technologies that use biological or living systems of plants, animals, and microbes, or some specific compounds derived from those sources for the purpose of producing industrial and similar products. On the other hand, biotechnology can be defined as the use of animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, and viruses completely or just a part to produce beneficial substances needed by humans, such as improving the production of food crops, medicines, health care supplies, vaccines, food and chemical industries and their products in quantity and quality or in improving existing organisms. This techniques is based on biological systems, which work to stimulate living cells to perform specific tasks and can be said that genetic engineering technique is a means but not a purpose , used to solve what is eligible to solve some agricultural and food problems. <br /> Genetic engineering is seen as a natural evolution and advancement of genetics with its various branches to solve many problems that cannot be solved by conventional methods. Genetic engineering, or so-called gene technology, is any technique used to control, selectively modify, or transfer genes from one organism to another (microbe-plant-or animal) in order to give desired traits or properties, it is very simply include the operation or disruption of the gene or the transfer of the gene between organisms known as DNA technology modified or recombinant DNA (rDNA). The foods that are produced by this technique may be called as a "Tailored food products" or as " Novel foods". Thus, genetically engineered foods can be defined as a foods obtained by transporting a gene from a plant, animal, microbe where the gene that is responsible for a particular genetic trait is fused with the DNA of the organism to be genetically modified. <br />