“Next-generation sequencing”: FSAI advances food DNA scanning with new tool

20 Feb 2019 --- The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has developed a new DNA scanning tool to identify the entire DNA content of a food. According to the statutory body, the analytical tool can proactively identify all the ingredients and their biological sources in food, which will aid regulators in protecting consumers concerning potential food fraud and misleading labeling. The tool has already been used on a number of plant-based products and could be a game-changer for food safety and tackling food fraud.

The FSAI worked with a commercial laboratory (Identigen) for two years while adopting a relatively new DNA sequencing technology pegged as “next-generation sequencing.” The idea is to compare the actual ingredients in a food, identified by their DNA profile, with those declared on the label. Previously, the DNA testing of food required analysts to know what they wanted to look for specifically and then test for it – but such target information is no longer a prerequisite.

According to Dr. Pat O’Mahony, Chief Specialist, FSAI Food Science and Technology, this applied use of “next-generation sequencing” is unique in a regulatory context and will be a significant new asset for regulators to identify exactly what is contained in a food and if that matches what is stated on the product’s labeling. It is now possible to scan a food’s entire DNA content without any prior knowledge or suspicion of what may or may not be present in that food, he notes.

“Phase one incorporated ‘next-generation DNA sequencing,’ and phase two involved further analysis using more established DNA and protein techniques to corroborate the initial DNA scanning results,” he tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“This technology now allows us to scan the entire DNA of a food to determine what exactly it contains. As a result, there are a myriad of opportunities by which this can be used for food safety.”

In the coming years, the FSAI will use this technology to look at any foods to determine if anything untoward is going on in terms of substitution or the misdeclaration of ingredients. “We hope to develop a profiling system to see where the greater risk lies,” adds Dr. O’Mahony. “All areas of the food chain, animal, plant and microbial will be able to benefit from this.”

“Even with the restriction of having to target the DNA of a certain plant or animal species in previous studies, the FSAI has been able to detect food allergens and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and demonstrate the mislabeling of fish products,” he continues. “Of course targeted DNA analysis was also the method used by the FSAI in discovering horsemeat in beef products, which ultimately brought the global awareness of food fraud to a new level.”

The restrictions imposed by the need to target only specific species and ingredients in products led the FSAI to look for new innovative non-targeted screening methods. Next Generation DNA Sequencing (NGS) is the basis of the new DNA food scanning tool and has been applied successfully by the FSAI to screen 45 plant-based foods and supplements from Irish health food stores and supermarkets. It looked for the presence of all plant species in the selected products and identified 14 food products of interest that may contain undeclared plant species.

Of the 14 products selected for further investigation, one was confirmed to contain undeclared mustard at significant levels. Mustard is one of the 14 food allergenic ingredients that must be declared in all foods under EU and Irish food law. Additionally, oregano was found to contain DNA from two undeclared plant species, one at significant levels. A third product was found to have no DNA from the plant species declared on the label, but instead, rice DNA was identified. All three products are under further investigation, according to the FSAI announcement.

“Our project has proved that next-generation sequencing can screen a variety of plant-based foods for the presence of undeclared plant species. It is important to understand that any results of the initial scan will always need to be corroborated by more established analytical techniques,” Dr. O’Mahony comments.

“Being able to scan the entire DNA content of food means that it will be difficult to substitute or hide an ingredient of biological origin without it being detected. The plan is that in the future, the FSAI will apply the same technology for the screening of meat, poultry and fish products,” he concludes.