Detection of Irradiated Fruits Using the DNA Comet Assay
2000
Oh Kyong-Nam | Park Jun-Young Detection laboratory Irradiated Foods Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea Republic)
The simple microgel electrophoresis of single cells, a 'comet assay', on fruit seeds enabled the rapid identification of irradiated fruits by comparing the intact non-irradiated cells and the damaged cells of irradiated fruits. Grapes and plums were irradiated with 0.1, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0 kGy and strawberries, peaches, apples, and nectarines were irradiated with only 1.0 kGy. Seeds were isolated, crushed, and the suspended cells were embedded in an agarose layer. After lysis of the cells, they were subjected to microgel electrophoresis for 2 minutes, and then stained. The DNA radiation-induced fragmentation of all the fruits stretched and migrated out of the cells forming a tail toward the anode giving the appearance of a comet, while the undamaged cells appeared as intact nuclei without tails. Grape and plum seeds irradiated at 0.5 kGy and higher showed significant increases in tail length. With increasing the irradiation doses, longer extention of the DNA from the nucleus toward the anode was observed. Strawberry, peach, apple, and nectarine seeds irradiated with 1.0 kGy also showed the longer tails than non-irradiated ones. DNA comet assay as a rapid and inexpensive screening technique could be an officially validated method for the detection of irradiated fruits.
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