New Delhi: Netherlands-based science and health information provider Elsevier has said its journal `Food and Chemical Toxicology` retracted a study that revealed genetically modified maize led to tumours in rats after the probe found it did not meet scientific standards.
Elsevier`s Food and Chemical Toxicology journal had published the study `Long term toxicity of a roundup herbicide and a roundup-tolerant genetically modified (GM) maize` done by French researcher Gilles-Eric Seralini in September 2012.
The study has been retracted because no definitive conclusions could be reached with a small sample size, it said in a statement.
"A more in-depth look at the raw data revealed that no definitive conclusions can be reached with this small sample size regarding the role of either NK603 or glyphosate in regards to overall mortality or tumor incidence," it said.
"This retraction comes after a thorough and time- consuming analysis of the published article and the data it reports, along with an investigation into the peer-review behind the article," the journal said.
Shortly after the publication of the study paper in the peer-reviewed journal, scientific community across the world raised concerns about the findings of the study, which said rats fed Monsanto`s GM corn suffered tumours, it said.
Due to the nature of the concerns, the journal requested to view the raw data.
"The retraction is only on the inconclusiveness of this one paper. The journal?s editorial policy will continue to review all manuscripts no matter how controversial they may be," it added.
There is controversy over use of GM foods in some countries including India because of safety concerns. Indian government has allowed commerial cultivation of Bt cotton but has put a moratorium on Bt brinjal.
