Differentiation of Sparidae species by DNA sequence analysis, PCR-SSCP and IEF of sarcoplasmic proteins.

The increasing global trade of fishery and aquaculture products makes it necessary to develop methods for species identification in case of fish fillets or other highly processed seafood with external morphological characteristics (e.g. gills, fins) of the original fish being removed. Species identification methods based on DNA- or protein-analysis, like DNA sequencing of PCR products, PCR-SSCP (polymerase chain reaction - single strand conformation polymorphism), and isoelectric focusing (IEF) of water-soluble proteins of fish fillet were applied successfully to distinguish between various sparid species including Sparus aurata, Spondyliosoma cantharus, Boops boops, Acanthopagrus bifasciatus, Argyrops spinifer, Pagellus bogaraveo and Lithognathus mormyrus of the family Sparidae available on European markets. Indication of the presence of parvalbumins in light muscle of all of the studied species is presented by the location of heat-stable proteins in the anodic range of the IEF gels.