Luxembourg-based Eurofins recently unveiled what it says is the first DNA-based test to detect the modification of genetically engineered AquAdvatange salmon.
The test is needed after regulators said AquaBounty’s GE salmon could be sold in Canada and the United States, the international laboratory company said on its website.
“This GM salmon was approved for sale in Canada in May 2016 and, according to Canadian law, does not need to be labeled,” Eurofins said. In 2017 and 2018, five tons of AquAdvantage were sold in Canada.
“In 2019, the GM salmon was not only approved for sale in the U.S.A. but also for cultivation in a salmon farm in Indiana. However, in E.U. member states and other countries, the marketing of AquAdvantage salmon remained unapproved. As a result of this situation, a specific method to detect AquAdvantage salmon was required” Eurofins said.
Eurofins quickly developed “a very specific and highly sensitive DNA-based test to detect the genetic modification of AquAdvantage salmon. The method is able to detect minute traces of the material in a sample, and to distinguish genetically modified salmon from un-modified,” Eurofins said.
Developed by Eurofins GeneScan Technologies, the test is also available as a “full commercial detection kit” for GM salmon.
“In combination with an efficient DNA extraction method, the detection of GM material is possible even in highly processed samples,” Eurofins said.
Image courtesy of Eurofins
