Introduction

EU-Commission Reserach Project Measurement & Testing, Contract No. G6RD-CT2000-00419. Duration: 2001-2004
"New technology in food sciences facing the multiplicity of new released GMO" (GMOchips)

The goal of the GMOchips-project is the development of biochips to detect Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in food. Reliable detection methods are essential for the labelling of GMO concerned food and for the control at the EU borders.

The GMOchips-project is a continuation of the “QPCRGMOFood” EC’s programme on real-time quantitative detection by PCR. Most of the laboratories are common to the two programmes. Proprietary and expensive real-time QPCR are limited by the number of simultaneous detections per tube and cannot provide any information on the possible presence of unknown GMO.

The miniaturisation and the multiparametric detection of the DNA microarray can be used in a “matrix approach” for both quantitative detection and typing of GMO. Amplifications by consensus PCR of parts of the plant and GMO used sequences can then be identified on the microarray.

A final ring-test will assess the reliability of the microarray testing and compare both technologies in terms of quantification and identification of GMO. The results will be proposed for CEN standardisation.

More details about the project are available in the Project summary.

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