Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) has become a more and more important detection technique for identification of animal sources

plant sources

genetically modified organisms(GMOs) and microorganisms in food safety detection field.The PCR technique evolving from conventional PCR(cPCR) to fluorescent PCR(qPCR) and digital PCR(dPCR)

has gradually been applied in the qualitative

relative quantification and absolute quantification due to its ability to detect small amounts of nucleic acid in raw food materials

while dPCR

is especially of great advantage both in efficiency and accuracy compared with other methods.The latest research progresses of dPCR in food safety detection in recent five years are summarized in this paper

the relevant standards of cPCR

qPCR and dPCR in food analysis are compared

and the technical advances and problems of dPCR in different food safety fields are discussed.Finally

The future development of dPCR technique is anticipate.