A DNA microarray assay for authenticating five important marine mammal species in food and feed

• Published in: Food chemistry Vol. 348; p. 129136
• Main Authors: Huan, Haixia, Zhang, Ke, He, Jian, Zhang, Jinyou
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 30.06.2021
• Subjects: Animal Feed - analysis; Animals; Dolphins - physiology; Fish meal; Fishes - genetics; Five marine mammal species; Food Analysis; Identification; Microarray; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis - methods; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - analysis; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - metabolism; Seals, Earless - physiology; Whales - physiology; Identification; Microarray; Five marine mammal species; Fish meal
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129136

•We design a DNA microarray assay with species-specific oligonucleotide probes.•The assay is tested using five target marine mammal species and three fish meals.•The detection results exhibit specificity and sensitivity for the five key species.•We achieve rapid species identification and authentication via a simple procedure.•The assay can be used to detect non-compliant marine mammal ingredients in seafood. Material identification in processed and unprocessed food and feed is crucial for ensuring the safety and hygiene of food and feed products. Therefore, to identify possible marine mammal components in feed, we study developed a DNA microarray with species-specific oligonucleotide probes that enable the rapid identification of five important marine mammal species (dolphins, seals, sea lions, white whales, and finless porpoises). The assay was tested using five target marine mammal species, and the probe patterns were compared with those of three fish meals (for feed) to see if they contained traces of marine mammals. All five marine mammal species could be distinguished by the microarray, and no marine mammal-derived ingredients were detected in the three fish meals. This study indicates that DNA microarray-based detection is relatively easy and effective for identification of non-compliant marine mammal ingredients in seafood or feed.