Molecular Biology Team at NML Achieves European Standard for Equine DNA Quantitation Method
A groundbreaking method developed by Malcolm Burns, Gavin Nixon and Timothy Wilkes in the Molecular Biology Team at the National Measurement Laboratory at LGC (NML at LGC), funded by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) and the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), has been officially published as a European standard by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN). The published standard (EN 18033:2024) outlines a DNA-based method for quantifying equine DNA relative to mammalian DNA in raw beef products.
The method was pioneered, developed and validated in response to the 2013 horse meat issue. In January of 2013, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland reported on a significant amount of horse DNA which had been found in a beef burger product on sale to the public at a local supermarket. The incident revealed widespread illegal substitution of beef with horse meat across Europe and wider, prompting Defra to commission the development and validation of a real-time PCR method by the NML at LGC.
The method subsequently underwent an international collaborative trial funded by the FSA to evaluate its reproducibility between and within laboratories. The work resulted in several peer reviewed publications in the scientific press, but the pinnacle of the work has been its acceptance and publication as a CEN standard.
The published standard showcases the impact of work undertaken by the NML at a national and international level, achieved in close collaboration with Defra and FSA, demonstrating the pro-active response the NML took in addressing the recommendations of the HM Government Elliott Review1 into the Integrity and Assurance of Food Supply Networks. Publication of this method as an official CEN standard has set a benchmark for standardising the quantitation of meat DNA, paving the way for similar advancements in detecting other meat species and solidifying the UK's leadership in food safety and authenticity.
1 Elliott review into the integrity and assurance of food supply networks: final report - GOV.UK