RNA

RNA, ribonucleic acid, is a nucleic acid consisting of linked ribonucleotides, each containing the sugar ribose, a phosphate group, and one of the bases adenine, guanine, cytosine, or uracil. Usually single-stranded, though it can form duplexes, RNA carries out protein synthesis and gene regulation in cells and constitutes the genomes of many viruses. Food scientists use RNA-based methods to detect pathogens, study gene expression in fermentation microbes, and trace contamination, making it a central molecule in food molecular biology and safety testing.