Molecular identification of five commercial flatfish species by PCR–RFLP analysis of a 12S rRNA gene fragment

Refrigerated or frozen fillets of commercial flatfish species are sometimes mislabelled, and identification of those products is needed to avoid fraudulent substitution. Molecular identification of five commercial flatfish species (order Pleuronectiformes), ie Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis (megrim), Platichthys flesus (flounder), Reinhardtius hippoglossoides (Greenland halibut), Scophthalmus maximus (turbot) and Solea vulgaris (= S solea) (sole), has been carried out on the basis of the amplification of an approximately 433 bp segment from the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and universal primers. Direct DNA sequencing from two PCR products for each flatfish species was carried out, and sequences were used to select six restriction enzymes. PCR products of 15 individuals of each species were cut with each enzyme, resulting in species‐specific restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The five flatfish species could be identified by application of the restriction enzyme AluI as well as by using different combinations of a pair of enzymes, ie DdeI and either AciI or MwoI. No intraspecific genetic polymorphism was found for any of the six enzymes. Results confirmed the usefulness of this technique to distinguish and genetically characterise refrigerated or frozen pieces of these five flatfish species. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry