PCR-RFLP MITOCHONDRIAL ANALYSIS:RAPID DISCRIMINATION OF Acipenser baerii AND Trisopterus minutus minutus EGGS

Species identification is a key problem throughout the life cycle of fishes: from eggs and larvae to adults in ecosystem and fisheries research and control, as well as processed fish products labelling in consumer. Amplification of a region of the mitochondrial genome, the cytochrome b, using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) permits specie discrimination. The obtained long PCR-products cut with different restriction endonucleases resulting in species-specific restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) allows to discriminate between different types of eggs species. The following analysis of mitochondrial DNA is suitable with only one enzymes, Hpa II, to differentiate and control the labeling of the caviar, Acipenser baerii and the caviar substitution specie, Trisopterus minutus minutus