Molecular markers and genomics for food and beverages characterization

Abstract

We summarize and discuss latest trends and works on methods and most significant case studies concerning molecular-based food and beverages quality and authenticity assessment. DNA-based technology may work as a wild card between food authentication, gut microbiome profiling, and the evaluation of food-borne microbiological risk. The central axiom of food security necessarily passes through the validation of the concept of food authenticity that in turn depends on the analytical assessment of ingredients. With increasing molecular detail, literature demonstrates how the food intake is associated with specific epigenetic effects on genomes leading to gene expression regulation. Similarly, food intake deeply affects human health by influencing secondary metabolite production regulated by the gut microbiome. In the last decade, biology moved rapidly from small numbers to big data, keeping the DNA as a major tagged molecule for food characterization. Simple molecular markers have the advantage to be used by small-medium laboratories and may be effective in addressing simple questions, while the integrated genomics approaches address exhaustive description of food and beverages quality traits. More significant case studies of molecular characterization of plant and animal-derived food and grapevine- derived beverages are also reported. Finally we conclude on how the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches could improve our relation with food and beverages from the point of view of health and quality of life and against frauds. Visual Abstract DNA-based methods integrated with bioinformatics for genetic identification may act as a wild card under several molecular approaches that intercept human health issues. Food has a deep impact on human health on a direct basis through its nutritional properties, its sanitary status, affecting the gut microbiome and the cell epigenome, and likely, under certain circumstances, a stochastic mechanism even by transforming the cell genome itself. DNA-based authentication can be effective in profiling food microbiome related to the potential risk of causing food-borne diseases and food intrinsic qualities related to raw ingredients and origin. The DNA test aimed to address food authentication should be planned according to the specific goal and type of food or beverage, where species identification or intraspecific identification are selectively required.