GMO-Test

With the development of genetic methods for molecular biology, the specific genetic alteration of an organism is now possible. The spectrum of genetic manipulations ranges from the knock-out of a genes from a genome, the introduction of same species or foreign genes into a genome, as well as gene therapy in medicine. The long-term consequences of these manipulations, especially for food, have not been fully explored, and the uncertainty of consumers towards GMOs is very high. Commercial cultivation of transgenic plants started in 1996 and now accounts for approximately 11% of the global agricultural area. Currently, the most important GMOs are maize, soybean, cotton and canola. The number of GMO events is steadily increasing, making their distinct detection more complicated.

For the reliable and cost-effective detection of GMOs in food samples, BIOTECON Diagnostics offers a wide range of solutions, both for screening and quantification of GMOs in accordance with all EU regulations, which are non-uniform. To satisfy EU regulations, a different threshold value for bio/ organic products is valid (0%) than those for conventionally produced food (0.9%) and seeds (0.3%). Here, the foodproof GMO Screening Kit can be used to qualitatively test whether GMOs are present in a sample. The foodproof GMO Screening Kit (35S, NOS, bar, FMV), 5’Nuclease is the first commercial kit offering multiplex real-time PCR for the screening of four GMO targets at once using a 2-Assay system (GMO and Plant Gene Assays).

Multiplex PCR is the simultaneous detection of several gene targets within one PCR reaction. The cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter and the terminator of the nopaline synthase gene of Agrobacterium tumefaciens (T-NOS or NOS) are commonly used for GMO screening. However, to thoroughly detect as many GM crops as possible, an expansion of existing screening methods is required. The bar resistance gene (phosphinothricin N-acetyltransferase) transfers herbicide resistance from the soil bacterium Streptomyces hygroscopicus. The figwort mosaic virus (FMV) promoter is part of the transgene sequence of newly approved events like soya MON89788 (Roundup Ready 2 Yield) and sugar beet H7-1 (Roundup Ready).

Compared to classical methods, negative results with the foodproof GMO Screening Kit require no further testing. Depending on the EU regulation, positive results may need quantification for which BIOTECON Diagnostics also offers the foodproof GMO Soya Quantification Kit and the foodproof GMO Maize Quantification Kit. As plant material can contain polysaccharides, phenols, and other potential PCR inhibitors, proper genetic GMO detection requires good isolation of DNA from a sample. BIOTECON Diagnostics offers the foodproof GMO Sample Preparation Kit as an alternative to conventional DNA isolation methods, which are tedious and contain highly toxic chemicals. The foodproof GMO Sample Preparation Kit is an innovative, quick, and user-friendly DNA extraction kit.

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