A Fast, Naked-Eye Assay for Varietal Traceability in the Durum Wheat Production Chain

Abstract

The development of a colorimetric mono-varietal discriminating assay, aimed at improving traceability and quality control checks of durum wheat products, is described. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was identified as a reliable marker for wheat varietal discrimination, and a rapid test for easy and clear identification of specific wheat varieties was developed. Notably, an approach based on the loop-mediated isothermal amplification reaction (LAMP) as an SNP discrimination tool, in combination with naked-eye visualization of the results, was designed and optimized. Our assay was proven to be effective in the detection of adulterated food products, including both substitution and mixing with different crop varieties.

Digital PCR for Genotype Quantification: A Case Study in a Pasta Production Chain

“…Moreover, compared to the other reference techniques, it is the only one to have the characteristics close to a DNA barcoding, intended as taxonomic method that uses one short genetic sequence for identification at the species level. The same target genetic sequence can be exploited in fast methods, as reported for instance in [ 18 ]. This latter point-of-care (POC) method is user-friendly and fast, yet the dPCR assay is able to provide an accurate quantification.…”

“…Genotype-by-sequencing based on DArTseq technology and SNP screening for a TV private allele were performed according to Cibecchini et al [ 18 ]. After screening, the SNP 12876 was selected.…”

Molecular Approaches to Agri-Food Traceability and Authentication: An Updated Review

“…This approach has been used to authenticate saffron and discover its adulterants such as safflower and turmeric [ 57 ]. Cibecchini et al [ 58 ] set up a portable colorimetric LAMP-based method to detect the presence of a specific wheat variety (Aureo) in grains and flours. Hu and Lu [ 59 ] developed a device for the specific detection of pomegranate, apple, and grape DNA present in fresh fruit juice.…”

Colorimetric Point-of-Care Detection of Clostridium tyrobutyricum Spores in Milk Samples

“…After the optimization of our test, we attempted to develop a simplified and instrument-free approach with a naked-eye readout through a clear color change of the reaction samples. To this end, we exploited the pH-sensitive LAMP strategy using the Cresol Red dye, which results in a pink-to-yellow color change upon target amplification, enabling the identification of positive samples by simple visual inspection [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ].…”