Sampling
for Genetically Modified Organisms*
Genetically
engineered plants are one example of Genetically Modified
Organisms (GMOs). These plants differ from those obtained
through artificial selection (conventional plant breeding
involving cross fertilization, progeny
selection, etc.) because inserted genes, foreign to
the particular crop, confer desired characteristics
such as pesticide resistance. Existing genes may also
be cancelled or amplified.
As
early as 1986 concern over the health effects of consuming
such GMOs as food prompted Denmark to regulate this
area. Now, the European Union (EU) regulates the all
foods which contain GMOs, in particular grains, that
are imported into the European Community of nations.
US grain producers who export to the EU must verify
that their products contain no more GMOs than is allowed
by the EU regulations. Currently, exported grain may
contain no more than 1% genetically modified material
on a population basis. That is, no more than 1% of
the individual seed grains may be produced by genetically
modified plants.
Neogen
Corporation has developed and manufactures test kits
to determine the GMO content of various grains.
The test procedure is sensitive to three of the most
common proteins found in genetically modified grains.
However, the sensities for the three are not the same,
the sensitivity for one is much higher than for the
other two.
A
typical situation requires that the grain exporter
verify that a shipment of 10,000 kilograms of grain
meets the 1% specification. This shipment of grain
may have come from several different sources and may
not be completely mixed. The project is to determine
what is the best sampling strategy (number of samples
and method of collection) and the best method to estimate
the population of genetically modified grains in the
samples.
The
ideally completed project deliverable would be a sampling
recommendation, an algorithm for estimating the GMO
content of a shipment on a population basis, and a
confidence level for the final result.
*This
summary prepared by R. E. Svetic with the participation
of Dr. P. S. Satoh and J. M. Madden of Neogen Corporation,
Lansing, MI
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