News
Wednesday 17 January 2007
DNA your dinner
Next time you sit down to that business lunch or dinner at the end of a hard day, think about its DNA. Once the preserve of the crime scene, DNA testing is now available for our food, where traceability and content verification have become essential tools for food manufacturers and retailers.
Now, Nottingham Trent University, in partnership with the East Midlands New Technology Initiative (NTI), is offering local companies use of new, highly sophisticated, food DNA testing equipment. Using very small food samples the system first denatures the DNA, then replicates it numerous times, adding a fluorescent dye by which it can be identified.
Trading Standards officers and consumers are both keen to know exactly what’s in food on the plate and manufacturers are ethically and legally required to know the content of the food they are supplying.
Mike Dixon, project manager at Nottingham Trent University and East Midlands NTI says this offers companies – and trading standard officers – a quick and affordable method of identifying food: “Typically we might be asked to identify what meat is in an imported product, or to identify if expensive Basmati rice is contaminated with a cheaper, non Basmati, rice. We tested tiny amounts of pork sausages and were able to identify that although the sausage was indeed pork, the casing was of lamb origin.
“Many DNA testing facilities can take several days. This unit can give results in just one hour.”
Local food companies have been quick to take up use of the facilities and students on a Degree in Consumer Protection, that leads them to become trading standards officers, will also use the system.
The DNA tester is part of a range of equipment and services being offered at Nottingham Trent University’s Brackenhurst campus to help businesses research, develop and test new products.
ENDS
Notes to editors
The Food and Drink Centre for Knowledge Exchange (CKE) is run by the East Midlands NTI at Nottingham Trent University and the University of Lincoln. It is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and is open to any small and medium sized food business in the region.
East Midlands NTI is an initiative backed by leading universities and colleges, to help small businesses invest in state of the art technology. It is funded by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda), Higher Education Funding Council for England and Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
Businesses can apply for match funded grants of up to £10,000 to invest in capital equipment and enrol staff on NTI approved courses to gain advanced technology skills.
To find out your business can benefit from the East Midlands NTI Knowledge Exchange contact Mike Dixon on +44 (0)1636 817043 or log on to their website.
For more information on Nottingham Trent University please contact Dave Rogers, Press Officer, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8782, or via email or Therese Easom, Press and Media Relations Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8774, or via email.
For NTI enquires contact Lyn Churcher or Sarah Braund, East Midlands NTI Press Office, telephone +44 (0)1949 850010 or mobile (also out of hours) +44 (0)7050 089852.
