DNA Barcoding for Tracing Biodiversity in Mixed Crop Food Products: A Proof of Concept Within the BioValue Project.

In a world of rapidly globalizing food markets, biodiversity, authenticity, and the safety of food products have become a universal concern. DNA barcoding is a widely used molecular-based method that can identify biological material and is used for the traceability of both raw materials and ingredients in processed food. In the present study, contacted within the framework of the BioValue Horizon Project, which promotes the role of agrobiodiversity in sustainable food systems, DNA barcoding using the ITS and rbcL markers was employed as a proof-of-concept approach to reveal the biodiversity and authenticity of ten commercial plant-based products. Following successful DNA amplification and sequencing using six products as a proof-of-concept, a diverse range of plant genera and species were identified, verifying biodiversity. A strong correlation between ITS and rbcL-based markers was demonstrated, supporting their combined use for reliable species-level biodiversity assessment. Finally, heat map analysis of label contents and sequencing-based genera identification confirmed high concordance between label claims and sequencing results in most cases, though undeclared species and absent labeled taxa were also detected, highlighting potential mislabeling or cross-contamination.