Before this year, most testing on bioengineered grains took, according to this story, 48 hours, cost $250 and was best done under laboratory conditions. But right on the cusp of the genetically modified (GM) grains crisis, a few companies have developed quick and inexpensive tests for GM products.

These are qualitative, "yes/no" screens; they merely detect the existence of GM germ plasm.

Jim Tobin, director of biotechnology development for Monsanto, was quoted as saying that "To verify whether a GM crop is one approved for sale within Japan or Europe would require 11 different tests. Nobody has that kind of money to repeat at each stage of the handling and transportation system." Wayne Pedersen, plant pathologist at the University of Illinois, was quoted as saying the tests "absolutely work‹as long as you recognize the limitations of the sample. It will reflect what sample you pull."

Strategic Diagnostics Inc. (SDI) of Newark, Del., sells Trait Check, which can identify GM characteristics in soybeans in just five minutes, using a $5.75 test strip and a blender. Maine-based EnviroLogix makes a $3.50 quick test for Bt corn. SDI says it, too, will soon release a corn quick test with a 1% tolerance, the level proposed by wary European Union grain buyers. But corn has some unique challenges not faced by soybeans, say plant scientists. Pollen drift may or may not result in a positive test even if farmers believe their seed varieties to be GM free. Also, some traditional seeds may have GM germplasm.

** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed for research and educational purposes only. **