Reliable GMO Analysis

Quantification of genetically modified (GM) constituents in food and feed represents a relatively new area of chamical analysis or "bioanalysis". Basically two different types of analyte can be targeted for this purpose - the parts of the transgenic DNA which were inserted by biotechnological techniques into the genome of a natrual plant or the protein expressed by this transgenic DNA. Because of its high sensitivity, measuring gene copies by real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR) became the method of choice commonly used for quantification of GM constituents in food and feed. In contrast with this, protein-directed procedures often use qualitative methods in combination with statistical approaches to quantify the GM content of , e.g., seed lots. Applicability to food samples is hampered by the different level of proteins expressed in various tissues and the dependence of the expression level on the growing conditions. Within recent years several rt-PCR methods for quantification of GM have been published.JRC.D.2-Reference material