Development and Evaluation of Event-Specific Quantitative PCR Method for Genetically Modified Soybean MON87701

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Biotechnology
• Molecular Biology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Accurate quantification of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is crucial for regulatory compliance and food safety.
• Specific analytical methods are required for event-specific detection of genetically modified soybean events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a real-time PCR-based analytical method for the event-specific quantification of the MON87701 genetically modified soybean event.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a standard plasmid for MON87701 quantification.
• Experimental determination of the conversion factor (Cf) for real-time PCR instrumentation.
• Evaluation of the method's trueness (bias) and precision (reproducibility) through an inter-laboratory blind test.

Main Results:

• A conversion factor (Cf) of 1.24 was determined for the real-time PCR instrument.
• Method biases were consistently below 30%, and relative standard deviation of reproducibility (RSDr) values were below 13% across all tested concentrations.
• The limit of quantitation was established at 0.5%.

Conclusions:

• The developed real-time PCR method is suitable for the event-specific detection and quantification of the MON87701 soybean event.
• The method's performance, validated through an inter-laboratory trial, meets the requirements for practical GMO analysis.
• This provides a reliable tool for monitoring and regulatory purposes concerning MON87701.