Planta Med 2008; 74 - S-9
DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1075150

Authentication of Plant Materials and Products by DNA

J Novak 1
  • 1Institute for Applied Botany and Pharmacognosy,University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1,A-1210 Wien, Austria

The authentication of botanicals is of utmost importance due to the vast number of species used and the high risk of admixtures or adulterations in trade. The authentication of drugs is usually based on morphological and phytochemical methods. Today, DNA-based methods have the potential to complement these approaches. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all living organisms. Chemically, DNA is a long polymer of simple units (nucleotides) with a backbone of sugars and phosphate groups. Attached to each sugar is one of four possible bases. The sequence of these four bases along the backbone is unique to each individual and related between related individuals. Comparative sequencing of chloroplast and nuclear-DNA-regions was opening a wide new area in taxonomy and phylogenetics [1]. Subsequently DNA sequences were also used to identify species [2]. In addition, multilocus DNA methods like molecular markers are complementing the toolbox in resolving especially complicated taxa [3]. The discussion about traceability of genetically modified organisms (GMO's) during the complete supply chain (‘from seed to supermarket’) has sped up research to identify species in processed materials [4,5]. DNA based methods were successfully applied to authenticate fatty oils[6] or solvent extracts[7]. The ongoing development of quantitative DNA-based methods could enable in the future a quantitative analysis of species composition in mixed plant materials and products[8]. Miniaturization of DNA-technologies (DNA-chips, microarrays, etc.) is another trend that would allow the analysis of a sample against a multitude of species in one experiment. References: [1] Wolfe AD, Liston A (1998) In: Soltis, D. E., Soltis, P. S., Doyle, J. (eds.) Molecular systematics of plants II: DNA sequencing. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht p. 43–86. [2] Kress WJ, et al. (2005) PNAS, 102: 8369–8374. [3] Weising K, et al. (2005) DNA Fingerpinting in Plants. Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton. [4] Auer CA (2003) Trends in Plant Science 8: 591–597. [5] Miraglia M, et al. (2004) Food Chem Toxicol 42: 1157–1180. [6] Pafundo S, et al. (2005) J Agric Food Chem 53: 6995–7002. [7] Novak J, etal. (2007) Food Research International 40: 388–392. [8] Engel KH, et al. (2006) Trends in Food Science and Technology, 17: 490–497.