Reliable authenticity testing of all Basmati rice varieties in the New UK Code of Practice of 2022

The UK Code of Practice on Basmati Rice

Feb 2023. During the last 20 years Basmati became the most popular speciality rice in the EU and the UK due to its aroma and special cooking characteristics. The import volume increased steadily to up to 400,000 metric tons during the last 5 years (figure 1) and over 20 % of total rice imports is Basmati.

Figure 1: Import of Basmati rice from India and Pakistan into the EU (data based on issued import certificates - communication of EU Member States. Source: Rice News Today)

But this speciality is also highly susceptible to adulterations with cheaper low quality non-Basmati varieties and its success in the EU and UK market is mainly due to the very clear definition of Basmati authenticity in the UK Code of Practice on Basmati Rice and its enforcement. The Code was first published in 2005 by the Rice Association, British Retail Consortium and the British Rice Millers Association and defined 15 rice varieties as genuine Basmati. A DNA fingerprinting method based on hypervariable short tandem repeats (STRs, also called microsatellites or simple sequence repeats, SSR) was defined as the standard authenticity test. The Code is the gold standard for Basmati authenticity not only in the UK, but also in most member states of the EU.

Eurofins authenticity testing of all Basmati rice varieties in the 2022 Code of Practice

Due to the development of numerous improved Basmati varieties in India and Pakistan the Code had to be revised in 2017 and again in 2022. The extension of the list of approved varieties from 15 in 2005 to 41 in 2017 made a new testing method necessary, which Eurofins developed and published in a peer reviewed scientific article (Nader et al., 2019)^[1]. Again, India notified 5 new varieties as Basmati (Pusa Basmati 1718 and 1692, Punjab Basmati 4 and 5 and Haryana Basmati 2), which made the recent revision of 2022 necessary. These cultivars are now covered by the Eurofins authenticity testing as well. At the same time 6 varieties were removed from the Code due to the lack of the fragrance gene: Malviya Basmati Dhan, Pant Basmati 1 and Vallabh Basmati 21 and 24 from India, and Chenab and Punjab Basmati from Pakistan. The absence of the gene was discovered and published by Nader et al. (2019).

Identification of rice varieties in general

The Eurofins method published in 2019 can be applied for the identification of many other rice varieties and their quantification in mixtures, as long as authentic reference materials are available. DNA fingerprints of over 140 different rice varieties are now included in the Eurofins data base: Jasmine and other fragrant rice varieties from Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, Japanese Sushi rice, Italian Risotto, major US varieties and more. For Jasmine rice consumer perception might be increased by a clear authenticity definition and DNA fingerprints and the genetic relationships of major Jasmine varieties were recently published by Eurofins as well (Nader et al., 2020)^[2].

Control of food safety and authenticity

Authenticity is only one of several challenges for the global rice trade (Nader et al., 2014)^[3]. Eurofins provides a comprehensive control package to minimize the risks for the international trade. These consist of pre-shipment inspections and loading controls in most countries of origin, supplier audits and the full scope of chemical, physical and microbiological testing. Particularly significant are the impacts of the diverse pesticide regulations in different markets on the trade (Nader et al., 2020)^[4].

References

[1] Nader, W.F.; Elsner, J.; Brendel, T.; and Schubbert, R. (2019): The DNA fingerprint in food forensics – the Basmati rice case. Agro FOOD Industry Hi Tech, 30(6): 57-61
[2] Nader, W.F.; Makara, O.; Elsner, J.; Brendel, T.; and Schubbert, R. (2020): The DNA fingerprint in food forensics part 2– the Jasmine rice case. Agro FOOD Industry Hi Tech, 31(1): 54-58
[3] Nader, W.F.; Grote, A.-K.; and Cuevas Montilla, E. (2014): Impacts of food safety and authenticity issues on the rice trade. Pages 159 – 176 in: Rice Processing – The Comprehensive Guide to Global Technology and Innovative Products (J. Sontag, editor). Erling Verlag, Germany
[4] Nader, W.F., Maier, M., Miebach, M. and Linder, G. (2020): Pesticide residue legislations challenge international trade of food and feed. Cereal Technology, 2: 84-99

Click here for Dr Werner Nader's presentation on rice authenticity at the Food Genomics Summit 2023: "Testing of Varietal Authenticity of Rice Specialties: The Basmati and Jasmine Cases."