Aprofood offers comprehensive food genetic modification testing services, conducting screening and quantitative analysis of genetically modified components in products and raw materials. Leveraging our professional analytical capabilities, we provide ongoing support to ensure that our products comply with the regulatory requirements of various countries and meet the needs of consumers.

Regulation and Testing of GMO Food

As a result of the ubiquitous genetically modified organism (GMO) foods, the legislation in several countries has put in place different types of market access rules in a bid to protect consumers' right to access information and make food choices. As of now, the United States practices a voluntary labeling policy for foods that inadvertently contain genetically modified ingredients, while the European Union has a policy of compulsory labeling for foods with genetically modified content over 0.9% information. Many traditional approaches, as a result, have been unable to pinpoint “substantially equivalent” products that lack the “foreign” genes in them because of the advancements in gene editing technology, leading some testing institutions to develop epigenetic analysis techniques using whole genome sequencing to address the issues posed by emerging technologies.

Fig 1. Process flow of transgenic organism evaluation. (Alasaad N, et al., 2016)

Our Service

Aprofood's genetically modified testing and quantification services ensure you obtain reliable results. We can screen and quantify genetically modified materials in various samples, including processed foods, food raw materials, feed, plants, and seeds, among others. We have multiple independent laboratories to prevent sample cross-contamination.

Basic Screening Service

Uses multiplex PCR methods to identify widely known GMO components like the CaMV35S promoter and NOS terminator within a single test, appropriate for the first level of screening for possible GMOs. Results are available within a short period, which is crucial for enterprises that need rapid screening.

Event-Specific Quantitative Testing

Focuses on specific GMO strains, for instance MON810 corn and GTS40-3-2 soybeans, designing specific PCR primers and probes for them to perform real-time qPCR for accurate quantification to as low as 0.1%. This is most appropriate for compliance with regulations for export-oriented food products.

Whole Genome Sequencing Analysis

Uses platforms like Illumina to perform deep sequencing and then utilizes bioinformatics to detect everything that can be considered a GMO in a given sample, so that known or listed materials can be detected as or are termed as undocumented or undisclosed novel GMOs.

Non-GMO Claim Verification

Integrates stringent environmental sample and negative controls with absolute quantification offered by dPCR to issue non-GMO certification, which aligns with the EU's "zero tolerance" policy, thus providing access to premium market segments.

Detection Techniques

Aprofood has established a global, regulatory-compliant food genetic testing system. To ensure the precise matching of the testing plan, it is recommended that customers provide sample characteristics and the regulatory requirements of the target market in advance. If you need to know more about the details of the testing items or obtain customized solutions, please feel free to contact us.

Reference:

1. Alasaad N, et al. Data in support of the detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food and feed samples[J]. Data in brief. 2016, 7: 243-252.

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