Home Textiles | Monday, May 24, 2010

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SUPIMA IN THE NEWS: DNA Authentication tests for cotton

By Nancy Boyd

NEW YORK—“All cottons are not created equal.”

So read the announcement of Applied DNA Sciences’ launch of its Fiber Typing test to differentiate Supima from inferior cottons.

The distinction between different species of cotton is what separates ELS (Gossypium barbadense) cotton from Upland (Gossypium hirsutum) cotton. FiberTyping is a Cotton Authentication DNA test, developed in collaboration with Supima, that has been utilized in trials by several well-established retailers and manufacturers around the world. This test has been blind-test validated. The commercial launch of FiberTyping should solidify APDN as the leader in DNA authentication of cotton fiber content.

Global cotton production exceeds 50 billion pounds per year. According to The US Cotton Market Monthly Economic Letter (12 April 2010), the four largest producers are: China (31%), India (23%), US (12%) and Pakistan (10%). Recently, Applied DNA has completed FiberTyping for customers based in the US, China, Hong Kong and India.

To read the rest of the announcement on Market Watch, part of The Wall Street Journal’s digital network, click here.