In the genes
that can be used to ensure food safety and enhance traceability.
The company, which is set to launch the product next month, is
keeping tight-lipped about the product, but there is speculation
that the concept could represent a breakthrough in food production.
Gene chips, which were invented by US biotechnology company Affymetrix, have revolutionised medical research by allowing scientists to conduct complex studies of the relationships between genes, diseases and medicines. The French company has now developed a version of the chip, called FoodExpert-ID, which will be marketed and produced under licence from Affymetrix.
The product is likely to be aimed at food producers, processors and retailers wanting to check the source of products or monitor food safety.
According to a report in this morning's Financial Times, the chips are sensitive enough to detect the difference between types of tuna caught in driftnets that also tend to kill dolphins, and alba tuna, the more expensive fish that is caught using a more eco-friendly method. They can even tell the difference between duck and goose.
The implications for the food industry, which is now more responsive to consumer demands for ethical and hygienic food than ever before, are enormous.
"Consumers trust manufacturers every day to provide them with safe, wholesome food, so food safety and the traceability of quality ingredients are the industry's priorities," said Kate Snowden of the UK's Food and Drink Federation. She believes that the gene chips could provide manufacturers with a high-technology tool capable of assuring the quality of ingredients.
Affymetrix have been able to put the entire sequence of the human genome on a single chip the size of a thumbnail. But instead of cramming a billion gene sequences on a chip, the FT says that BioMérieux will put just a few genes on cheaper chips. It will certainly have to make them much cheaper than the human genome version if it is going to create a market for industrial gene testing of food and animal feed.
bioMérieux, which is planning to launch the concept at a press conference in Paris on 24 February, declined to comment on the product until that date.
