Development of a genetic method for the identification of salmon, trout, and bream in seafood products by means of PCR-RFLP and FINS methodologies

Abstract

In the present study, two alternative methods for identifying 13 salmon, trout and bream species were developed. Both of them are based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of a cytochrome b gene fragment. Subsequently, different techniques were assayed to assign the PCR amplicons previously obtained to particular species. The first one is based on the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and includes three endonucleases for generating species-specific restriction profiles, while the second one is based on the phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences. The main novelty of this work lies in the applicability of the developed methods to all kinds of processed products, including those undergoing intensive processes of transformation, as for instance canned foods. Finally, the methods were applied to 25 commercial samples including some that had been subjected to intensive thermal treatment, allowing the detection of those incorrectly labeled (16%). Therefore, these methods are useful to check the fulfillment of labeling regulations for seafood products, verify the correct traceability in commercial trade, and for fisheries control. © The Author(s) 2009.