The Comparison of Various Real Time PCR Chemistries Used in Detection and Quantification of Genetically Modified Organisms

Abstract

Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) is an advanced molecular method for determining the amount of nucleic acid in both gene expression analysis and routine Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid (DNA) measurement. An accurate measurement method is essential given that the labelling threshold for genetically modified organisms (GMO) residues in food and feed products is 5% in Japan and 0,9% in the European Union. Determination of GMO components, quantification of exact amount and determination of trace amounts in food matrices are possible in q-PCR. Various q-PCR chemicals are used for this purpose. These; intercalation dyes, primary based, chemicals and probe based chemicals. With the increasing number of GMO products in the grocery stores, the number of analyses performed per sample and thus the cost of analysis increase. For this purpose, in GMO studies, improved detection methods are needed to determine the presence of GMOs in order to perform fast and economically feasible scans. In this study, q-PCR chemistries were compared in terms of cost, efficiency and applicability.