The RAPD technique is a PCR-based discrimination
method in which short arbitrary primers anneal to
multiple random target sequences, resulting in patterns
of diagnostic value. In RAPD analysis, the target
sequence(s) to be amplified is unknown and a primer
with an arbitrary sequence (a 10-base pair sequence or
a 10-bp sequence randomly generated by computer) is
designed and synthesized. After these sequences have
been synthesized they are used in PCR reactions with
low-stringency annealing conditions, which results in
the amplification of randomly sized DNA fragments.
This method is currently being explored for the
identification of LAB including probiotic strains. As
the reproducibility of RAPD patterns is occasionally
poor; this method needs to be performed under
carefully controlled conditions. Various groups have
adopted the use of RAPD to identify and characterize
LAB strains from various sources, i.e., human, food
and milk samples.37,