Research project NP/DD/24 (Research action NP)
The present project aims at the assessment of a tracing and authentication methodology of materials or products based on - or derived from genetically-modified organisms (GMO)
In 96 and 97, consents were granted on basis of directive 90/220/EEC for the placing on the EU market of grains from transgenic plants as raw material to be processed in the food or feed pathways; glyphosate-tolerant sojabeans (decision 96/281/EC, JO L107/10 of 30.04.96) and insect- resistant, glufosinate-tolerant maize (decision 97/98/EC, JO L31/69 of 1.02.97).
As a result, the EU and particularly Belgium as exportation target of these GMO's were facing strong information requests from both the consumers, the processing and distribution sectors: the identity of the origin of consumption goods remains a major concern of the public and the authorities. The public acceptance of GMO-based product should urgently be reinforced in Belgium as abroad, because of the irreversible spreading of GMO-based materials and products on the world market.
One element -among others- helping to change public perception would be the availability of a tracing and authentication monitoring of GMO-based food products. Such methodology would both facilitate the implementation of directive 90.220/EEC or the recent Novel food EC reglement 258/97 of January 27th, 1997 by the Belgian competent authorities and rationalise the labelling of GMO-based products.
Network and Theme:
Each in their own area, the 3 proposing institutes are exclusively linked to the concerned competent authorities, owns the appropriate scientific information and techniques and have legal access to legal information, the raw material, the processed material and any distributed products. The present project co-ordinates these means of the 3 institutes and focuses a common objective: the development and validation of standardised tracing and authentication methods in the case of three types of transgenic plants and derived products: sojabeans, maize and oilseed rape.
Tracing transgenes: the presence of authorised transgenes inserted in the genome of these three traditional crops provides for the first time a plant DNA tracing tool along industrial processing from the initial raw material down to the distributed products.
Authentication: the transgenes authorised by the above-mentioned decisions are well known by the co--ordinating institute. Other known transgenes are those related to the officially-authorised deliberate releases occurring in the EU on basis of the application of directive 90/220/EEC or in the world as documented by the OECD Biotrack database. The scientific and patent literature brings further DNA sequences information's about the still-to-be-released transgenic plants under development. The co-ordinating institute currently feeds a database of the transgenes under research and development in the world. Beside the authentication of transgene, the authentication of a GMO as pure product or mixed in raw material also further requires the knowledge of the genomic fingerprinting of the genomic inserts and the knowledge of the plant species or variety. For these, the present project foresees the development of additional methods for the rapid certification of authorised GMO's and the detection of unknown GMO's in raw material. Exploitation of ribosomal RNA sequences, species-specific genes and GMO-specific AFLP patterns is planed.
Methods: the chosen methods are derived from the classical PCR-based methods. The PCR is a both highly sensitive and specific method for the isolation of DNA or RNA sequences of interest and for genome fingerprinting.
Tasks and normative frame: The first task will be to seek DNA in a variety of raw and industrially-processed materials representative of the transformation pathways. The second task will be to define the tracing limits of the methodology. The third task will be to develop and extend the authentication means to be applied to the identification of authorised GMO products, their plant variety and to the detection of potential unknown GMO's. As a methodological safety, a bank of DNA will be prepared from non-genetically modified crops to be used as negative reference material. These task have to be carried out with reference to CEN TC233 prenorms, under GLP and on basis of the advises of consumers and distribution groups.
Expected output: validated public-domain PCR primers, science-based interpretation of "substantial equivalence" of Novel foods, certification of transgenic origins, normative data for product labelling, a monitoring expertise applicable to R&D and an overall increased safety perception of the public and the industry.
