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Development of a method for the quantification of haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) in commercial products using real-time PCR

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Abstract

A method is presented for the quantification of haddock in complex food matrices based on real-time PCR. The proportion of haddock muscle tissue to the numbers of a single copy gene has been shown to remain relatively constant, throughout the year and across a number of fishing grounds, using conventional muscle nitrogen content as a comparator. This indicates that quantification of fish, based upon nitrogen content or the numbers of a single copy gene, would return data with a similar degree of accuracy. Thus, a haddock-specific, real-time PCR primer and probe set was designed and optimised, and when used in conjunction with a haddock calibration curve was shown to be able to quantify model samples to within 7% of the true percentage. This is the first report of a real-time assay for the quantification of white fish, which would allow enforcement of the legislation in a complex food matrix containing haddock with other fish species.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded under the food authenticity programme of the Food Standards Agency of the United Kingdom. The authors wish to thank Nick Garside, Fisheriers Officer and Tam Muldoon, Youngs Bluecrest Seafood Ltd for help in sourcing fish.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Central Science Laboratory, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ, UK

    H. J. Hird, J. Chisholm, P. Reece, J. Brown, R. Goodier & R. MacArthur

  2. Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Aberdeen University, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, UK

    G. L. Hold

  3. Rowett Research Institute, Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB21 9SB, UK

    V. J. Russell

Authors
  1. H. J. Hird
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  2. G. L. Hold
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  3. J. Chisholm
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  4. P. Reece
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  5. V. J. Russell
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  6. J. Brown
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  7. R. Goodier
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  8. R. MacArthur
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Correspondence to H. J. Hird.

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Hird, H.J., Hold, G.L., Chisholm, J. et al. Development of a method for the quantification of haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) in commercial products using real-time PCR. Eur Food Res Technol 220, 633–637 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-004-1050-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-004-1050-y

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