Basmati Rice Fraud under the Magnifying Glass of DNA Analysis

Abstract

Basmati rice is a perfumed rice of high commercial value which is easily adulterated. A list of rice varieties accepted as true Basmati is the subject of an agreement between Europe, Pakistan and India. Each rice variety can be characterized by DNA profiling, thus offering to the control authorities a powerful tool to detect fraud. Mixtures of authentic Basmati and non-Basmati varieties can be quantified. During the last six years, about one third of the analysed samples proved to be fraudulent.