Reading Scientific Services Limited (RSSL) is to launch a service to test for genetically modified (GM) rice.
It follows a series of reports that rice imported from China has been contaminated with Bt63 rice, resulting in European Union (EU) demands that all rice products of Chinese origin should carry a certificate stating that no Bt63 rice was detected.
Bt63 rice was developed in China and possesses a resistance against insect pests through the introduction of a gene from the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) soil bacterium.
Illegal cultivation in China has meant that Bt63 rice has now entered the worldwide food chain, despite it being illegal in China and in the EU.
RSSL's method uses a construct-specific real-time PCR system to detect the genetically modified DNA from Bt63 rice.
It is a qualitative test with a detection limit of five or less DNA copies (approximately 0.01 per cent w/w).
Therefore, the test will detect if there has been GM contamination in rice and rice products or provide an assurance that the products are GM free.
