Genetic ID this week announced the addition of digital PCR technology to its portfolio of DNA-based testing technologies, for quantification of genetically modified organisms in highly processed products.
Specifically, the company is using a Bio-Rad QX100 Droplet Digital PCR system, according to a spokesperson.
GMO quantification is often necessary in order to meet government regulations or program requirements, Genetic ID said. The current industry standard for GMO testing, real-time PCR, is sometimes unable to quantify GMO content in highly processed or multi-ingredient products.
"Digital PCR is more robust than real-time PCR and can provide a quantifiable GMO result for these types of products," Genetic ID CEO Heather Secrist said in a statement. "For those customers who don’t have access to the input from which the product was produced, this additional technology can be extremely helpful in allowing entry of their product into the desired market."
Genetic ID, based in Fairfield, Iowa, said it is the first A2LA-accredited laboratory to receive accreditation for digital PCR. The company was the first commercial laboratory in North America to offer PCR-based analysis of GMOs in food and agricultural products. Genetic ID provides the food and agricultural industries with molecular biology- and microbiology-based testing in the areas of GMO detection, animal and plant species detection, food pathogen detection, and food authenticity testing.
DuPont said this week that recent updates by the US Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service to its Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook now specify the DuPont BAX System molecular method for detecting Escherichia coli O157:H7 and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in meat products, carcass, and environmental sponges.
Effective Oct. 1, FSIS microbiologists can use the BAX System real-time PCR assays to routinely monitor regulated foods for pathogenic E. coli. The MLG already specifies the BAX System method for detecting Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. While inclusion does not constitute endorsement, the methods contained in the MLG are those that the FSIS uses for analysis of meat, poultry, and other products within their jurisdiction.