Efficiency of End-Point PCR Based Detection of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Food and Feed

Since the commercialization of transgenic crops in 1996, the biotech crop planted area has continuously increased. The European consumers have particularly been sceptical about transgenes in food products and EU (European Union) has enacted very complex legislation. The area of food analytics requires continuous development and improvement of detection methods to track the legislative framework and respond to consumers requirements. In the last decade, real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) based methods have been the methods of choice for numerous laboratories, but for various reasons, end-point PCR based methods have still been used. In our research, 73 samples of food and feed were analysed for the presence of common elements of transgene construct – Cauliflower Mosaic Virus 35S promoter (P-35S) and Agrobacterium tumefaciens Nopaline Synthase Terminator (T-NOS), using end-point PCR based methods. These samples had been previously tested for the presence of the same elements using validated real-time PCR based methods. Comparison of the used methods sensitivity showed that real-time PCR based methods have undeniable advantage. More important factor is specificity, and the fact that the list of approved Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) is constantly increasing necessitates updating of validation methods procedures. Considering upward trend of approved GMOs, it is important to pay more attention to the improvement and specialization of GMO detection methods.