Atlantic salmon in processed food is prone to substitution with cheaper species of similar appearance such as rainbow trout, chum salmon or masou salmon.
In this paper (open access) the authors developed a sensitive and visual PCR-based CRISPR/Cas12a detection method to identify Atlantic salmon ingredients in processed foods. A guide RNA (gRNA) was designed based on the mitochondrial genome of Atlantic salmon, with an efficient target site identified within the ATP synthase F0 subunit 6 (ATP6) gene.
Specificity was tested against 9 other species commonly associated with Atlantic salmon adulteration. There was no evidence of cross-reactivity.
The authors report that theirassay exhibited an absolute detection limit of 0.5 pg and a relative sensitivity of 0.1 %. The results were visually interpretable under UV light without the need for complex instrumentation. They cross-checked their results through Sanger sequencing during the authentication of commercial products.
Photo by Natalia Y. on Unsplash
Comments