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Guidelines for the Validation of Microbiological Methods for the FDA Foods Program, 3 rd Edition The FDA Foods Program Regulatory Science Steering Committee (RSSC), made up of representatives from the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA), the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), and the Office of the Chief Scientist of the FDA, is charged with the task of prioritizing, coordinating and integrating human food-and animal food-related science and research activities across the operating units of FDA's Foods Program.

A method has been developed to distinguish between traditional soy beans and transgenic Roundup Ready soy beans, i.e. the glyphosate ('Roundup') resistant soy bean variety developed by Monsanto Company. Glyphosate resistance results from the incorporation of an Agrobacterium-derived 5-enol-pyruvyl-shikimate-3-phosphatesynthase (EPSPS) gene. The detection method developed is based on a nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) procedure. Ten femtograms of soy bean DNA can be detected, while, starting from whole soy beans, Roundup Ready DNA can be detected at a level of 1 Roundup Ready soy bean in 5000 non-GM soy beans (0.02% Roundup Ready soy bean). The method has been applied to samples of soy bean, soy-meal pellets and soy bean flour, as well as a number of processed complex products such as infant formula based on soy, tofu, tempeh, soy-based desserts, bakery products and complex meat and meat-replacing products. The results obtained are discussed with respect to practical application of the detection method developed.

The authenticity of food is of increasing importance for producers, retailers and consumers. All groups benefit from the correct labelling of the contents of food products. Producers and retailers want to guarantee the origin of their products and check for adulteration with cheaper or inferior ingredients. Consumers are also more demanding about the origin of their food for various socioeconomic reasons. In contrast to this increasing demand, correct labelling has become much more complex because of global transportation networks of raw materials and processed food products. Within the European integrated research project ‘Tracing the origin of food’ (TRACE), a DNA-based multiplex detection tool was developed—the padlock probe ligation and microarray detection (PPLMD) tool. In this paper, this method is extended to a 15-plex traceability tool with a focus on products of commercial importance such as the emmer wheat Farro della Garfagnana (FdG) and Basmati rice. The specificity of 14 plant-related padlock probes was determined and initially validated in mixtures comprising seven or nine plant species/varieties. One nucleotide difference in target sequence was sufficient for the distinction between the presence or absence of a specific target. At least 5% FdG or Basmati rice was detected in mixtures with cheaper bread wheat or non-fragrant rice, respectively. The results suggested that even lower levels of (un-)intentional adulteration could be detected. PPLMD has been shown to be a useful tool for the detection of fraudulent/intentional admixtures in premium foods and is ready for the monitoring of correct labelling of premium foods worldwide.

An important part of the comparative approach to assess the safety of new crop plant varieties is an extensive compositional analysis, including the measurement of all key nutrients and antinutrients in a specific crop. The study described here investigates the applicability of `omics' technologies, transcriptomics and proteomics, as additional tools in this comparative safety assessment. The aim of the work was to assess the extent of the natural variation in ripening tomato fruits as a model crop and to determine whether it is possible to develop simple `ripening stage' criteria for the sampling of fruits for `omics' analyses. It is shown that the set-up of an `omics' study is of crucial importance. Samples under scrutiny should be well-matched with relation to environmental conditions during growth and harvest, including the stage of ripening, as is stipulated in international guidance documents for the nutritional and toxicological assessment of genetically modified plants.