Monitoring Living Modified Canola Using an Efficient Multiplex PCR Assay in Natural Environments in South Korea

Abstract

Canola (Brassica napus L.) is cultivated worldwide and utilized as a vegetable oil, biodiesel, and livestock feed. It is also a major living modified (LM) crop alongside corn, soybean, and cotton. Many canola events have been authorized for food, feed, and processing use in South Korea. Concerns about the unintentional release of LM canola into the natural environment have increased environmental monitoring and post-management of living modified organisms (LMOs) is on the rise. The Ministry of Environment (MOE) and the National Institute of Ecology (NIE) conducted an environmental LMO monitoring and post-management project for LM canola from 2014 to 2017. The number of suspicious LM samples gradually increased each year. In this study, a multiplex PCR method was established to detect seven single LM canola events (Topas 19/2, Rf3, Dp-73496-4, Ms8, GT73, Mon88032, and T45) to cover 14 approved LM canola events. This method was utilized to detect 22 LMs out of 260 suspicious canola samples. Thus, this new method is more efficient in terms of time and cost than conventional PCR methods for the identification and monitoring of LMOs.