Rapid identification of binary and ternary adulteration in camellia oil by CRISPR/Cas12a assay

Camellia oil adulteration, bring about a serious potential threat to consumer health and food safety, yet current chromatography-based techniques require costly instruments and trained personnel, limiting their on-site detection. In this study, CRISPR/Cas12a was used for rapid identification of binary and ternary adulteration in camellia oil. On the basis of our screened RPA primer and crRNAs from corresponding rbcL genes, the CRISPR/Cas12a reaction, was completed within 40 min at a detection limit of 5% (w/w) in camellia oil adulterated with soybean oil, rapeseed oil, corn oil, and peanut oil, by visual naked-eye readout. Referring to the traditional gas chromatography technology, our constructed CRISPR/Cas12a method achieved 100% accuracy, highlighting its potential for routine market surveillance, especially for those oil samples at adulterated ratio ≤ 10%. This cost-effective and equipment-minimal assay, provide a promising tool for adulterated camellia oil on site detection, thus strengthening food quality control and consumer protection.