A Fast, Naked-Eye Assay for Varietal Traceability in the Durum Wheat Production Chain
Giulia Cibecchini, Paola Cecere, Giorgio Tumino, Caterina Morcia, Roberta Ghizzoni, Paola Carnevali, Valeria Terzi, Pier Paolo Pompa
Abstract
The development of a colorimetric mono-varietal discriminating assay, aimed at improving traceability and quality control checks of durum wheat products, is described. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was identified as a reliable marker for wheat varietal discrimination, and a rapid test for easy and clear identification of specific wheat varieties was developed. Notably, an approach based on the loop-mediated isothermal amplification reaction (LAMP) as an SNP discrimination tool, in combination with naked-eye visualization of the results, was designed and optimized. Our assay was proven to be effective in the detection of adulterated food products, including both substitution and mixing with different crop varieties.