MOLSPEC-ID: Development of quantitative and qualitative molecular biological methods to identify plant and animal species in foods

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 01.0495-2

Key words (English)

Species; food; identification; quantification; real-time PCR; pea; soya; protein;
Agriculture; Economic Aspects; Food; Industrial Manufacture; Life Sciences; Medicine; Health; Safety;
Agriculture; Economic Aspects; Food; Industrial Manufacture; L

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: QLK1-CT-2001-02373

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.1.1 Food, nutrition and health

Short description (English)

See abstract

Partners and International Organizations (English)

Coordinator: Federal Inst. for Health Protection of Consumers (D)

Abstract (English)

Recent investigations demonstrated that fraudulent replacement of food components as well as adverse reaction to unexpected food ingredients is quite common problems. Up to now official methods for the detection of plant and animal species in foods are exclusively based on protein analysis. The project aims to develop DNA-analytical methods for qualitative and quantitative identification of plant and animal species in foods to monitor product safety and trace ability. The project includes the comparison of nucleic acid-based methods with protein-based ones. A research aspect will be enhancing throughput by introducing multiplex-PCR, PCR-ELISA and chip technology. Four methods for several species will be validated in inter-laboratory studies. Furthermore a public database will be established containing information about methods to identify plant and animal species in foods.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 01.0495-2