Molecular markers and genomics for food and beverages characterization

We summarize and discuss latest trends and works on methods and most significant case studies concerning molecular-based food and beverages quality and authenticity assessment. DNA-based technology may work as a wild card between food authentication, gut microbiome profiling, and the evaluation of food-borne microbiological risk. The central axiom of food security necessarily passes through the validation of the concept of food authenticity that in turn depends on the analytical assessment of ingredients. With increasing molecular detail, literature demonstrates how the food intake is associated with specific epigenetic effects on genomes leading to gene expression regulation. Similarly, food intake deeply affects human health by influencing secondary metabolite production regulated by the gut microbiome. In the last decade, biology moved rapidly from small numbers to big data, keeping the DNA as a major tagged molecule for food characterization. Simple molecular markers have the advantage to be used by small-medium laboratories and may be effective in addressing simple questions, while the integrated genomics approaches address exhaustive description of food and beverages quality traits. More significant case studies of molecular characterization of plant and animal-derived food and grapevine-derived beverages are also reported. Finally we conclude on how the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches could improve our relation with food and beverages from the point of view of health and quality of life and against frauds.