Applicability of a General Analytical Approach for Detection of Genetically Modified Organisms: Collaborative Trial

Abstract

Background: With the commercialization of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the market, laboratories have undergone a significantly increased workload. A universal analytical approach was designed to achieve cost-efficient and high-throughput GMOs screening with high specificity and accuracy. The approach provides accurate qualification of authorized and unauthorized GMOs.

Objective: This article describes the assessment of this analytical approach developed to detect the majority of commercialized GMOs over the world.

Method: Seven elements and three events were detected by qPCR in a single laboratory to detect 59 commercialized GMOs. Certificated reference materials and food/feed samples from the Chinese market were also evaluated for the specificity, conformity, and robustness of this approach and were challenged in the interlaboratory study.

Results: The results showed that elements and events selected can best detect GMO presence with good specificity and sensitivity. The results showed a concordance between 97.5 and 99.56% and the variance between 0.65 and 12.88%, which is in line with the minimum requirement of analytical methods of GMO testing.

Conclusions: The approach validated here can be used to manipulate GMO presence in food and feed and showed the capacity to manipulate GMO trace in the trade and domestic agriculture market in China.

Highlights: A universal analytical approach used to track GMO presence was evaluated for its specificity, sensitivity, and robustness.