earticle

영어

The development of forensic science has significantly contributed to the resolution of criminal cases and the accuracy of legal judgments through the utilization of scientific evidence. In particular, the use of DNA barcoding to identify plant and animal species in forensic science has become an essential and reliable method because it can accurately distinguish species that are difficult to distinguish by morphological characteristics alone. However, in the case of rice species identification, it was confirmed that DNA barcoding, which primarily targets regions with low intra-species variation due to the characteristics of rice breeding development in Korea, has certain limitations. In this study, focused on an embezzlement case involving rice species identification, evaluated the limitations of three conventional DNA barcodes and five rice-specific DNA barcodes in forensic analysis. To address these limitations, we evaluated the applicability of a commercially developed rice species identification kit based on single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) identification technology. The application of the commercial kit in rice species identification demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity, even with small amounts of test samples. Additionally, it allowed for the determination of rice species in a shorter time frame compared to traditional DNA barcoding methods. As a results, the application of commercial kits in future cases related to rice species identification may help to serve as an reliable forensic biology analysis.