A poster at the 2000 Poultry Science meeting held in Montreal presented data showing that the novel protein in glyphosate tolerant soybeans could not be detected by a double antibody sandwich ELISA specific for this protein (Strategic Diagnostic Inc.) in tissues and eggs of laying hens (Ash et al., 2000). Not surprisingly, the raw transgenic soybeans, soybean meal and complete diets were positive for the novel protein. By comparison, whole egg, egg white, liver and fecal samples were all negative for the biotech protein. The poster concluded that the digestive process of the laying hen effectively breaks down the novel protein from the soybean meal portion of the diet such that no modified protein is detectable in the liver, eggs, or feces.

Weber and Richert (2001) showed that all samples of pork loin muscle tissue from grower-finisher pigs fed Bt corn had no detectable levels of intact or immunologically reactive fragments of the novel protein, using a competitive immunoassay for the Bt protein. Their data showed that the growth performance and carcass characteristics of pigs fed Bt corn was statistically similar to that observed for pigs fed conventional corn.