Identification of Fusarium graminearum in cereal samples by DNA detection Test Strips™

Aims: Development of a fast, sensitive and easy to handle method for the detection of Fusarium graminearum contamination in cereal samples by PCR. Methods and Results: DNA Detection Test Strips™ were used for PCR-product detection and the method was compared to agarose gel electrophoresis. A minimum of 0.26 ng of purified target DNA was detectable with the Test Strip™ Detection limit in less contaminated samples was slightly lower when gel electrophoresis was used for amplicon detection. In highly contaminated samples, detection limits of both methods were similar. Conclusions: Detection of PCR products was performed in 20 min without the need of special technical equipment or hazardous fluorescent DNA dyes. Significance and Impact of the Study: The new method described is useful for the screening of cereals in industrial quality control.