[T]he 2013 horsemeat scandal is considered one of the most egregious cases of food fraud on the continent [Europe], and it was all uncovered by one simple technique: DNA barcoding.

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Because the 2013 horsemeat scandal was only the beginning. Since then, a growing number of research groups have used [Paul] Hebert’s CO1 DNA method to uncover more and more deceptive dishes. Deer tendon products were found to be water buffalo tendon. Fish dishes were found to contain meat from endangered sharks. “Halal” food was found out to be anything but.

Even food products that don’t contain animal or plant products, but are derived from animals and plant, like honey, can now be tested with DNA barcoding methods.

“We have identified DNA barcodes which are short sequences of DNA indicative of a plant species,” Dr. Maria Anastasiadi [explained]. “[W]hen the presence of these barcodes exceeds certain thresholds, the honey is suspicious for adulteration.”

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here