Development of Metagenomic Methods for Determination of Origin - phase 2
Abstract:
Defra project FA0160 (2019) built on earlier work to develop metagenomic methods for determining geographical origin of food products by analysing microbial community signatures (microbiomes) associated with food. The aim was to test whether differences in microbial DNA profiles — obtained via next generation sequencing (NGS) and metagenomic metabarcoding — could act as origin markers for foods where traditional chemical or genetic methods may be limited. The work focused on two case commodities: Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) sampled from UK and French waters, and Blue Stilton cheese, a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product. Phase?2 included transferring sequencing methods to modern platforms (e.g., Illumina MiSeq), increasing replication across sites and seasons, and assessing the potential for microbial community patterns to discriminate geographical sources or PDO status. Although microbial signatures are not a direct proxy for food origin, the project explored their utility as part of a weight of evidence approach for authenticity verification, and highlighted technical, database and variability challenges that must be addressed before routine application.
