Estonian scientists are developing a DNA-based method of analysis that enables them to identify food components and specify the origin of a foodstuff.
Food always contains the DNA traces of the plants, animals and microorganisms that have been used or that the food or its raw materials have come into contact with in the production process. DNA analysis can provide valuable information on the content, origin, safety and health benefits of food and will make the identification of counterfeit foods and non-compliances in the ingredients specified on the packaging more reliable in the future. For example, certain cases gained attention last year in which the origin of honey and the authenticity of Estonian honey needed verification. The novel DNA analysis would make it possible to solve such issues.
According to
The DNA may be significantly degraded in processed food. Scientists extracted DNA from the cookies and analysed it using DNA sequencing technology. For the analysis of a single biscuit, approximately 20 million DNA sequences were obtained. Based on these, and by using bioinformatic analysis, it was possible to specify the DNA of the species found in the sample analysed. The main issue was the preparation of the DNA for sequencing, as the DNA is often degraded in food and even minute amounts of DNA molecules must be identified.
Kaarel KrjutSkov, Head of the Precision Medicine Laboratory of the Competence Centre on Health Technologies and Senior Research Fellow of
The research used a method based on short, unique DNA sequences (k-mers) for analysing genomic DNA data, which enables the scientists to quickly identify plant or bacterial DNA present in a food or an environmental sample. The Chair of
The article authors' earlier cooperation resulted in the NIPTIFY foetal chromosomal disorder test, which helps to detect, with almost 100% accuracy, the DNA sequences causing foetal Down syndrome in the mother's blood sample as early as the tenth week of pregnancy. The genome analysis method developed in the Chair of
According to Remm, the research article proves that DNA sequencing can also be used for identifying allergenic ingredients in processed food. 'DNA sequencing is a promising diagnostic method which makes it possible to quickly obtain precise information about food and the microbes around us,' he said. 'The use of sequencing and k-mers makes it possible in a very short time to implement a diverse range of diagnostic tests that meet the needs of researchers and companies.'
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