Plant Soil Environ., 2007, 53(8):345-349 | DOI: 10.17221/2185-PSE

The determination of avidin in genetically modified maize by voltammetric techniques

J. Petrlová1, S. Křížková1, V. Šupálková1,2, M. Masařík3, V. Adam1, L. Havel2, K.J. Kramer4, R. Kizek1
1 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno, Czech Republic
2 Department of Plant Biology, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno, Czech Republic
3 Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Brno, Czech Republic
4 Grain Marketing and Production Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Manhattan, USA

Quality assurance is a major issue in the food industry. The authenticity of food ingredients and their traceability are required by consumers and authorities. Plant species such as barley (Hordeum vulgare), rice (Oryza sativa), sunflower (Helianthus annus), wheat (Triticum aestivum) and maize (Zea mays) are very common objects of interest of genetic modification (GMO); therefore the development of specific assays for their specific detection and quantification of GMO are needed. Furthermore, the production and trade of genetically modified lines from an increasing number of plant species brings about the need for control within research, environmental risk assessment, labeling-legal, and consumers' information purposes. Electrochemical sensors and biosensors based on modification of working electrode could be suitable tools for these purposes. Here, we report using of an avidin-modified carbon paste electrode for rapid and sensitive determination of avidin in plant extract solution and in a transgenic maize extract. The process could be used to determine avidin concentrations up to 3pM in solution and 170nM in a maize seed extract. Moreover, we applied the method to analyze different maize flours.

Keywords: avidin; maize; square-wave voltammetry; carbon paste electrode; GMO

Published: August 31, 2007  Show citation

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Petrlová J, Křížková S, Šupálková V, Masařík M, Adam V, Havel L, et al.. The determination of avidin in genetically modified maize by voltammetric techniques. Plant Soil Environ. 2007;53(8):345-349. doi: 10.17221/2185-PSE.
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