The Enviropig™ was developed using specific gene sequences from mouse and e coli DNA, which were further modified to work in a pig. In combination, the genetic code would trigger the production of a digestive enzyme (secreted into the saliva) not found in domesticated hogs.
The genetic material was inserted into a fertilized pig embryo via microinjection. In turn, the embryo was surgically implanted into the reproductive tract of a sow, and born about four months later. When mature, the genetically modified pig was crossed with a conventional pig, and about half of the offspring exhibited the new, stable, modified gene. The Enviropig is now in its eighth generation. Questions and Answers from the creator of Enviropig.