Markets: DNA Based Product Authenticity Testing
DNA species identification applies wherever natural products touch people's lives
Any product derived from a living organism has a molecular identity that can be confirmed through DNA analysis. The applications range from the food on your plate to the supplement in your cabinet to the fibers in your clothing. The underlying science is the same in every case: extract DNA from the material, sequence it, classify what species are present, and report the findings. What changes from market to market is the specific question being asked and what's at stake in the answer.
Whether you are a consumer trying to verify what you bought, a small business owner looking for confidence in your supply chain, or a large enterprise managing product integrity at scale, the verification question is the same. We are actively building service capabilities across these markets from our laboratory in Florida, and the analytical foundation we describe on our Science page applies across all of them. If your product or material is biological and you need to know what's in it, we want to hear from you.
Food and beverage authenticity testing
Food fraud is one of the most extensively documented verification failures in global commerce, and it reaches products that people buy every day. Seafood mislabeling reaches 20 to 40 percent in some markets. Honey is one of the most adulterated foods in the world. Olive oil, saffron, and spices are frequently diluted or substituted. Coffee is a well-documented target for species fraud, with cheaper robusta beans substituted for premium arabica. Meat products have been found to contain undeclared species. DNA sequencing can resolve these food authenticity questions at the species level by analyzing the product itself, and, for samples where DNA is recoverable, the identification is grounded in the biology of the material.
Some food products present greater analytical challenges than others. Refined oils such as olive oil yield low concentrations of degraded DNA due to the refining process, making species identification more difficult than with raw or minimally processed foods. Beverages derived from biological ingredients, including honey based drinks, kombucha, mead, herbal teas, and juice products, present similar challenges due to dilute and degraded DNA in liquid matrices. We are actively developing and refining our capabilities for these more challenging sample types as part of our ongoing work.
Customers in this space include individual consumers, local producers, importers, processors, restaurant owners, food brands, and quality assurance teams. The science is the same, regardless of the scale.
Dietary supplement and botanical authentication
Independent testing has repeatedly found supplements containing little or none of their labeled active ingredients, containing undeclared species, and instances where cheaper botanical substitutes replaced the claimed ingredient entirely. The problem spans the full range of botanical and fungal supplement categories: adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha and ginseng, medicinal mushrooms like lion's mane and reishi, immune support botanicals like elderberry and echinacea, and multi ingredient formulas where any single component may be substituted or absent. DNA species identification can confirm whether the species on a supplement label match what is actually in the capsule, providing DNA based ingredient verification and assurance that the product matches its claims before it reaches a consumer.
For supplement brands and manufacturers, this means the ability to verify incoming ingredients at the species level before they enter production. For consumers, it means access to independent, scientifically grounded answers about what is actually in the products they are putting in their bodies.
Customers in this space include supplement brands, contract manufacturers, raw ingredient suppliers, and consumers seeking independent verification of what they are taking.
Timber and wood species identification
Species substitution is a well-documented problem in the global timber trade. High value species like teak, mahogany, and rosewood are frequently replaced with cheaper alternatives that are visually similar after processing. Once a log is milled into lumber, visual identification can become unreliable, and the documentation that accompanies a shipment describes what the wood is supposed to be.
DNA based wood species identification from processed timber has been demonstrated in published research, but timber presents genuine extraction challenges that have kept genetic testing from becoming a routine supply chain tool. Processing, drying, and environmental exposure degrade DNA significantly, and heartwood is particularly difficult to work with.
We are actively building our capability in this area, developing and validating extraction protocols for timber matrices with the goal of making DNA based species verification practical and accessible.
Customers in this space include importers, small woodworking shops, furniture makers, retailers, and manufacturers seeking species confirmation at the material level.
Textile fiber and leather authentication
Textile fraud affects both commodity and premium markets. Labels claiming cashmere, silk, or premium cotton varieties may contain cheaper substitutes or undisclosed blends. Exotic leather goods may carry incorrect species designations.
DNA based species verification has been achieved for unprocessed animal fibers, where mitochondrial DNA can be extracted and used to distinguish species such as cashmere goat from sheep. Processed textiles and leather present a greater challenge: tanning, dyeing, and finishing degrade DNA substantially, and the keratinized structure of hair fibers makes extraction difficult, even from untreated material. Research has shown successful species identification from some processed leather and fiber samples using specialized protocols, but this remains an active area of research rather than a solved commercial problem. We are developing our extraction and classification capabilities for textile and leather authentication, starting with unprocessed and minimally processed fibers and expanding into more challenging sample types as our protocols mature.
Customers in this space include independent designers, small brands, textile companies, importers, and individual consumers.
Agriculture, seed verification, and environmental DNA
Seed fraud affects farmers worldwide, with claimed varieties substituted, breeding stock mislabeled, and GMO status misrepresented. DNA sequencing can confirm variety identity at the genomic level and confirm or rule out the presence of specific genetic modifications. For companies developing new crop varieties through modern breeding techniques, the genetic signature of the variety itself can be detected and confirmed through sequencing, supporting verification and documentation efforts.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) applications use the same sequencing and classification methods to assess biodiversity in water and soil samples. For conservation organizations and environmental consultancies, the analytical foundation we are building for product authentication applies directly to eDNA survey work.
Customers in this space include farmers, seed companies, plant breeders, agricultural biotech firms, conservation organizations, and environmental consultancies.
Other biological sample types
DNA based product identification testing has extensively documented applications across food and beverage, supplements and nutraceuticals, timber, textiles, and agriculture, but the underlying capability extends to any biological material where species identity matters. Pet food and animal feed products carry DNA from their source species that can be used for species verification. Luxury goods containing fur, natural pearls, cashmere, silk, and organic components in art and antiquities all carry DNA that can be used for identification. Biologically derived pharmaceutical raw materials present verification questions that DNA sequencing is well positioned to address, and we plan to expand into pharmaceutical applications as our validation work and operational capacity mature.
If your verification question involves a biological material and you are unsure whether DNA testing can answer it, reach out. We are building this capability to serve as broad a range of people, businesses, and sample types as the science supports, and we are interested in hearing from people whose needs push us into new territory.
If your product is biological, the question is the same
Every market we serve shares a common structure: a natural material matters to someone, and that person needs to confirm what it actually is. Whether you are an individual consumer, a small business, or a large enterprise, the verification question is the same, and the science that answers it is the same science we are building our laboratory around. If you have a product, a question, and a sample, we are ready to hear from you.