DNA Authenticity

The substitution of an animal or plant species of high commercial value by a cheaper/lower-quality one is a common fraud in the food industry, including all branches from meat, seafood, dairy products to food of plant origin, such as oil and juices.

Food adulteration, either intentionally or not, is a global source of economic fraud to consumers, but also for all stakeholders involved in food production and distribution.

A wide variety of analytical methodologies have been applied to food authentication studies. In the past, food authentication routinely involved the detection of species-specific proteins, when attempting to discern the origins of material for human consumption. Such tests employed a variety of immunological, chromatographic and electrophoretic methods, however most of the methods lead to spurious results.