DNA-Based Tools to Certify Authenticity of Rice Varieties—An Overview

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most cultivated and consumed crops worldwide. It is mainly produced in Asia but, due to its large genetic pool, it has expanded to several ecosystems, latitudes and climatic conditions. Europe is a rice producing region, especially in the Mediterranean countries, that grow mostly typical japonica varieties. The European consumer interest in rice has increased over the last decades towards more exotic types, often more expensive (e.g., aromatic rice) and Europe is a net importer of this commodity. This has increased food fraud opportunities in the rice supply chain, which may deliver mixtures with lower quality rice, a problem that is now global. The development of tools to clearly identify undesirable mixtures thus became urgent. Among the various tools available, DNA-based markers are considered particularly reliable and stable for discrimination of rice varieties. This review covers aspects ranging from rice diversity and fraud issues to the DNA-based methods used to distinguish varieties and detect unwanted mixtures. Although not exhaustive, the review covers the diversity of strategies and ongoing improvements already tested, highlighting important advantages and disadvantages in terms of costs, reliability, labor-effort and potential scalability for routine fraud detection.

Novel PCR-Based Multiplex Assays for Detecting Major Quality and Biotic Stress in Commercial and Weedy Rice

“…According to Vieira et al [ 45 ], DNA-based markers such as simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are among the most dependable and stable tools for the discrimination of rice varieties. We discovered that the thermal cycling profile designed by McCouch et al [ 25 ] to map rice SSRs works effectively for all of the multiplex assays developed in this study, which used several different molecular markers, including SSR, SNP, and sequence-tagged site (STS).…”

Rice Genotypes and DNA Markers: A Review

“…In the field of rice research, a wide range of DNA markers are routinely utilized to assist in a variety of studies and applications. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), which is regarded as the simplest and least expensive technology for molecular authentication of rice products, can quickly identify the majority of these markers [16].…”

“…Additionally, the method is not easily transferrable between laboratories. Due to these factors, these markers are still insufficient to identify rice mixes or incorrect labeling [16].…”

“…With primers built of double-stranded adaptors connected to complementary sequences to those produced by the restriction enzymes, the selection is accomplished [21]. To limit the likelihood of a single band containing several amplification products, AFLPs need a large quantity of high-quality DNA and excellent electrophoretic separation [16]. AFLPs can effectively disclose many polymorphisms in a single reaction.…”

Improvement of Water Use Efficiency in Rice Cultivation Using Bio-Based Superabsorbent

“…It has spread in different ecosystem, climatic and geographical conditions. Rice has the most cultivation and consumption in the world after wheat [1]. In recent decades, rice production, has almost tripled [2].…”