Edited by Ray Shillito and Guomin Shan

Ray Shillito was a co-organizer of the ILSI International Food Biotechnology Committee (IFBiC)–American Association of Cereal Chemists International (AACCI) workshops from which the concept and much of the content of this book were derived and has presented the materials in the workshops given in many countries. As a BASF business support manager, he represents BASF (Seeds and Traits) in many trade associations and technical and science organizations, including CropLife, ISO, AOAC, Cereals & Grains Association (formerly AACC), and AEIC. He interacts internationally on standards setting in analytical technology (with a focus on agricultural biotechnology), and he chairs the ISO committee TC34/SC16 (Biomarkers) and the Cereals & Grains Association Molecular Biomarkers for Grain Technical Committee.

Affiliations and Expertise
BASF, USA

Guomin Shan received a bachelor’s degree in pesticide chemistry and a master’s degree in environmental toxicology from Beijing Agricultural University, China. In 1997, he received a PhD degree in entomology from Louisiana State University. After graduating, Guomin spent four years at the University of California, Davis as a postdoctoral fellow and a research scientist. He joined Dow AgroSciences LLC in 2001, where the focus of his career has been on transgenic traits and animal health product research and development. At Dow, he has served various leadership positions, including technical leader, science leader, seeds regulatory business partner, and global regulatory leader. Currently, he is the leader of the Predictive Safety Center in Corteva Crop Protection Regulatory Science.

Affiliations and Expertise
Corteva Agriscience Crop Protection Regulatory Science, USA

Since the first commercialization of genetically modified (GM) crops in 1996, nearly every country has embraced agricultural biotechnology through cultivation or import for both food and feed. New international regulations for food and feed required analytical methods to generate characterization data for detecting and quantifying the presence of GM crops, which inspired U.S. regulatory agencies to develop a training workshop. The success of this workshop on GM crop detection (by ILSI and co-published in partnership with Cereals & Grains Association) led to the implementation of international workshops developed to meet the unique needs of more than 20 countries.

Application of Sampling and Detection Methods in Agricultural Plant Biotechnology compiles the crucial knowledge from these international workshops, presenting an up-to-date handbook on detection methods for seed, plants, and grain derived from biotechnology.

Fifteen chapters discuss the basics of biotechnology and GM crops, testing procedures and lab management, principles of detection methods, sampling, analysis (plus analytical strategy and interpretation of results), international standards, and future perspectives. This technical yet practical information provides a tool for reliable sampling, detection, and data interpretation—useful to researchers in agricultural biotechnology companies, GM test kit manufacturers, research and testing laboratories, and government agencies, as well as students and academics.

Application of Sampling and Detection Methods in Agricultural Plant Biotechnology is an invaluable resource for developing, validating, and using GM detection methods.

Application of Sampling and Detection Methods in Agricultural Plant Biotechnology

1. Introduction: Biotechnology and Genetically Modified Crops
2. Seed Testing—Purity and Low-Level Presence (LLP)
3. Grain Supply Chain Testing—Import and Export
4. Principles of Nucleic Acid-Based Detection Methods
5. Method Validation: DNA Based Detection Methods
6. Principles of Protein Detection Methods
7. Method Validation: Protein Detection Methods
8. Sources and Use of Reference Materials
9. Seed and Grain Sampling
10. Plant and Field Analysis
11. Testing Laboratory Design and Management
12. International Standards
13. Analytical Strategy and Interpretation of Results
14. Detection of Gene-Edited Products
15. Future Perspectives and Challenges