DNA Fingerprinting enters the kitchen!

Read an interesting report recently in ET, about using DNA fingerprinting for certifying the Basmati Rice variety. ITC Hotels says in this report:

All basmati varieties have different soaking time and cooking properties. Each variety has to be suitable for the dish you want. So for dum pukht we need one variety, and for pulaos you need another. If there is adulteration, the end product is a disaster,” he added. The DNA certificate now tells chefs the name of each variety, its cooking qualities and where it was grown.

Seems like an ingenious application of DNA fingerprinting technology to solve a peculiar kitchen problem. ITC hotels buys over 200 tons of Basmati every year, so this technology is a godsend for them. Technology supplied by renowned Tilda Basmati.