Abstract
Cephalopods are very relevant food resources. The common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) is highly appreciated by consumers and there is a lack of rapid methods for its authentication in food products. We introduce a new minor groove binding (MGB) TaqMan real-time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) method for the authentication of S. officinalis in food products to amplify a 122 base pairs (bp) fragment of the mitochondrial COI (Cytochrome Oxidase I) region. Reference and commercial samples of S. officinalis showed a threshold cycle (Ct) mean of 14.40, while the rest of the species examined did not amplify, or showed a significantly different Ct (p < 0.001). The calculated efficiency of the system was 101%, and the minimum DNA quantity detected was 10−4 ng. No cross-reactivity was detected with any other species, thus, the designed method differentiates S. officinalis from other species of the genus Sepia and other cephalopod species and works for fresh, frozen, grilled, cooked and canned samples of Sepia spp. The method has proved to be reliable and rapid, and it may prove to be a useful tool for the control of fraud in cuttlefish products.
Highlights
Cephalopods are a very diverse group of mollusks and include 28 families and more than600 species, many of which are commercially important
The common cuttlefish (S. officinalis) is highly appreciated by consumers around the world, and it is traded with different presentations in Japan, the Republic of Korea, Italy and supermarkets and restaurants in Galicia region (Spain)
Species substitution is relatively frequent in seafood products [6], and in products containing cephalopods, where several cases of species substitution have been reported [7,8]
Summary
Cephalopods are a very diverse group of mollusks and include 28 families and more than600 species, many of which are commercially important. The world catches attributed to this species have registered numbers between 20,000 and 30,000 tons every year [2]. It is the species of cuttlefish with the highest commercial value. Illicit substitution of one species for another may constitute economic fraud and/or misbranding violations. Species substitution may cause potential food safety hazards to be overlooked by processors or end-users [5]. Species substitution is relatively frequent in seafood products [6], and in products containing cephalopods, where several cases of species substitution have been reported [7,8]
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