Surviving in the dispute: A bibliometric analysis of global GMF-related research, 1995–2014

Relying on the Science Citation Index Expanded and Social Science Citation Index databases, a bibliometric analysis of global studies on the genetically modified foods (GMF) in the last 20 years was conducted. We explored the knowledge foundations, research areas, authorships, spatiotemporal patterns, and the trendy. The GMF-related research maintains stable growth with established research teams and sufficient funds in the recent years. GMF-related research is a young field with a newly established intellectual base, and widely recognized as bio-science study. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, European Food Research and Technology, Food and Chemical Toxicology were the most active journals in the field. H. Akiyama, R. Teshima, A. Hino and A. Cifuentes were the most prolific authors in GMF-related research. For countries, both the pro-GMF and anti-GMF countries have pushed relevant research, including USA, EU, and Japan. Considering the GMF as national non-traditional security issue, inter-institute collaborations were more visible than that of international collaborations. Through keyword analysis, we found that the trendy of GMF-related research has been shifted from a pure technological perspective to a combination of technology, food safety and public acceptance.