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GMO DetectionThere may be cases where you need to test for the presence of a particular transgenic event. Perhaps you are selling your commodity to a market which does not allow for the presence of a GMO event. Perhaps you want to determine what events a stacked variety contains. In general there are two ways for doing this: 1) DNA level testing and 2) protein level testing. In both cases, you need to know something about the transgene's design or chromosomal location. If the terms promoter and coding region are confusing to you, go to the biotechnology and variety selection page. | |
DNA TestingTesting for a specific DNA sequence can be expensive, but is quite accurate. Click on the images below to watch two lab techniques widely used. On the left is the PCR or polymerase chain reaction and on the right, is a refined PCR, called Real Time PCR, which is much more accurate.
The Real Time PCR method is often used for export markets which allow little to no GMO contamination in the shipment. | Protein DetectionCompared with DNA testing methods, detecting a protein can be much less expensive and easier to do. In fact, you can test for a protein with a small leaf sample right in the field. Watch this animation for more explanation.
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