Please note that Authentigene closed down some years ago - this site is now just a teaching aid.
- According to a recent study of the Food Standards Agency (FSA), London, adulteration with Basmati rice is a wide spread phenomenon: Out of a total of 363 samples examined, 17% had a non-Basmati rice content greater than 20% and 9% had a non-Basmati rice content greater than 60%. The FSA recommends that the term "Basmati" should only be used for 11 Indian and 5 Pakistani rice varieties grown exclusively at the Himalayan foothills. The rice has a distinctive aroma and its cooked grains have a characteristic shape. It is a premium product and therefore attracts higher prices.
- By combining recent developments in genomics technology with results from cutting-edge R&D activities has enabled Authentigene to develop novel ways of authenticating foods. Authentigene's technology is set to become the gold-standard in the food-testing industry. The screening method can detect the presence of other rice varieties blended with basmati, and distinguish between the different varieties of basmati, which are mentioned in the Survey on Basmati Rice from the FSA, FSIS 47/04. We can quantify the presence of non-Basmati varieties of 10% or higher. Authentic reference material enables us to have a direct comparison between Basmati and non-Basmati lines.
- Authentigene has a unique database of SNPs which may be used in house to distinguish between varieties of rice. The sensitivity of our detection method allows us to distinguish genuine high-quality basmati samples from contaminants. As can be seen from this table, we have SNPs for a broad range of sample backgrounds including a number of hybrids. Our multiplexing technique allows us to use many distinguishing SNPs co-ordinately to generate high-confidence identifications
- If you wish to order and use this this service please contact us via e-mail or our online order form.
