Food testing

Multiplex digital PCR assays have a wide range of applications in the food industry, including regulatory control, quality assurance, GMO testing, food fraud detection, and foodborne disease monitoring. These assays can identify animal species and trace the origin of meat products, such as distinguishing between pig, camel, sheep, donkey, goat, cow, and chicken in a single reaction. They are also used for quantifying transgenes in GMO testing, with studies showing higher sensitivity and repeatability compared to qPCR. For detecting food fraud, dPCR assays can identify animal-derived ingredients in vegetarian or vegan products by targeting specific mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA markers. Additionally, dPCR is effective in simultaneously detecting multiple microbial pathogens, such as E. coli, L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, and S. enterica, ensuring food safety and quality.

Benefits of using nanoplate dPCR for food testing

  • Ideal for complex matrix samples thanks to multiplexing and the ability of dPCR to minimize the effect of amplification efficiencies caused by matrix differences between reference materials and samples
  • High-throughput possibilities thanks to multiplexing and an 8-plate system
  • Reliable detection of rare GMO events due to reduced background by partitioning

Related publications

Villa C, Costa J, Mafra I. First nanoplate digital PCR method to trace allergenic foods: Improved sensitivity for the detection of sesame. Food Chem. 2024;444:138650.

Andreason SA, McKenzie-Reynolds P, Whitley KM, Coffey J, Simmons AM, Wadl PA. Tracking sweet potato leaf curl virus through field production: Implications for sustainable sweetpotato production and breeding practices. Plants. 2024;13(9):1267.

Wang J, Ranjbaran M, Verma MS. Bacteroidales as a fecal contamination indicator in fresh produce industry: A baseline measurement. bioRxiv. 2023.07.17.549363.

Gruet C, et al. First application of digital-PCR in oenology for the specific detection of intact cells of Brettanomyces bruxellensis in the winemaking process. bioRxiv. 2023.

Fernandez-Tejero N, et al. A study of the potential application of digital PCR in the detection of fecal contamination of strawberries using Bacteroides markers. J Microbiol Methods. 2023;212:106811.