PCR-RFLP method to identify fish species of economic importance

SUMMARY The identification of different fish species by molecular methods has become necessary to avoid the commercial frauds on the fish market. The falsification of fish products derived from valuable species represents a frequent phenomenon due to the substantial profit resulting from selling less expensive products as more demanded and higher priced species foods. Different fish species of a great economical importance like sturgeons and salmonids can be identified by PCR–RFLP. This method is based on the amplification of a specific region from the mitochondrial genome, which is subsequently digested with restriction endonucleases (RE) resulting in species specific restriction patterns that allow to distinguish between the analyzed species.