PCR method and factors that influence the quantification of genetically modified organisms in food

Hans FRÖDER, Marion RUIS, Tainá DREBES, Aldo BACCARIN, Sandra Aparecida de Oliveira COLLET

Net Journal of Agricultural Science
Published: March 17 2020
Volume 8, Issue 1
Pages 17-24
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30918/NJAS.81.19.039

ABSTRACT

The Brazilian government requires, for the marketing of genetically modified products, that producers and suppliers identify food containing more than 1% of transgenic components on the packaging. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is a reliable method for detecting and/or quantifying genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food and animal feed samples. The data of the researched literature emphasize that an in house or collaborative validation study should be performed as part of the validation of the method, informing its performance. In addition, all measuring steps contributing to uncertainty, including sampling, homogeneity, DNA extraction, reference material, approximations and assumptions incorporated into the method and measurement procedure, experimental variations must be covered. This short review aimed to address the molecular methods and challenges faced by laboratories to correlate quantitative results and critical points that affect analytical quality of GMOs in food.

Keywords: GMOs legislation, GMOs labeling, transgenic components, food.

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