G03030: Quantitation using informative zeros (QUIZ): part 2 - application for testing GMOs
Friday 18 April 2008
Study Duration: January 2008 to October 2008
Contractor: National Institute of Agricultural Botany, Crop Genetics
Background
The Agency is the competent authority for the Genetically Modified (GM) Food and Feed Regulation (EC) 1829/2003 which lays down labelling requirements for GM food and feed.
To determine whether the labelling regulations are working in practice it is necessary for robust genetically modified organism (GMO) detection methods for foods to be available. This project aims to demonstrate the potential of a new approach to the quantification of GM material in food by the further development and testing of the methodology identified in a previous proof of concept study (G03025). Ultimately this may provide a method that is more accessible to Public Analysts for enforcement work.
Research Approach
As the name QUIZ (quantitation using informative zeros) suggests, the project is based on a technique used by microbiologists to determine the number of bacteria in a sample by diluting the DNA until either zero or more target molecules are present. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) will then give either a positive or negative result. As it is not possible to know how many target molecules were present with a positive result, it is the negative results that are ‘informative’ and allow the concentration of GM DNA to be calculated. The project, if successful, will result in a high throughput method for robust and sensitive quantification of relative amounts of GMO to non-GMO DNA in a food sample.