Effect of Ionizing Radiation on the Quantification of Genetically Modified Foods

Abstract

The rapid spread of Genetically Modified (GM) crops globally and the mandatory labeling of GM food and feed imposed by many countries has led to the development of relevant detection techniques. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) – based methods are presently the most effective and reliable for GM detection even in processed food products. This study evaluated the effect of electron beam irradiation, used for food pasteurization, on the detection and quantification of dry GM soyabean and maize products; qualitative and quantitative (real-time TaqMan^TM probe) PCR analysis showed that electron beam irradiation treatment, even at a high dose (10 kGy), did not affect the traceability of transgenes.

Key Words:

• detection of genetically modified organisms
• electron beam irradiation
• real-time PCR

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was co-funded by the European Social Fund and National Resources- (EPEAEK II) ARCHIMEDES. We would like to thank Dr. M.R. Stahl (Federal Research Center for Nutrition and Food, Karlsruhe, Germany) and Dr. K. Riganakos (University of Ioannina, Greece) for their valuable help in irradiating the samples.