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Catch and consumption of torpedo scad (Megalaspis cordyla) over the western Indian Ocean, but also the western Pacific from Japan to Australia is constantly increasing. Taking into account the degree of exploitation and missing information on the population structure of torpedo scad stocks it is crucial to provide population data. The analysis included individuals obtained in 2012 and 2013 from local markets in Madagascar, Tanzania, Vietnam and Cambodia and after successful DNA extraction fragment of the nuclear rhodopsin gene (RH1) and 9 microsatellite regions (SSRs) were amplified and analysed. Based on the obtained results it was found that there was no 100% overlap between the compared RH1 sequences and those from GenBank. In the case of the studied SSRs, the results allowed the initial characterisation and assessment of the genetic diversity of populations. Moreover, population assignment test distinguished the studied populations into two geographically distant subpopulations., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The increasing number of food frauds, mainly targeting high quality products, is a rising concern among producers and authorities appointed to food controls. Therefore, the development or implementation of methods to reveal frauds is desired. The genetic traceability of traditional or high-quality dairy products (i.e., products of protected designation of origin, PDO) represents a challenging issue due to the technical problems that arise. The aim of the study was to set up a genetic tool for the origin traceability of dairy products. We investigated the use of Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) to assign milk and cheese to the corresponding producer. Two farms were included in the study, and the blood of the cows, bulk milk, and derived cheese were sampled monthly for one year. Twenty STRs were selected and Polymerase Chain Reactions for each locus were carried out. The results showed that bulk milk and derived cheese express an STR profile composed of a subset of STRs of the lactating animals. A bioinformatics tool was used for the exclusion analysis. The study allowed the identification of a panel of 20 markers useful for the traceability of milk and cheeses, and its effectiveness in the traceability of dairy products obtained from small producers was demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traceability systems help guarantee that products bought from stores exactly correspond to the description on the label. Traceability maps the journey of the food, from the store, throughout processing, right back to the original livestock. DNA can be used as a natural barcode, as it carries unique genetic information and can be used to identify individual animals. Genetic variability of markers was analysed with the aim of confirmation of the available set of 13 microsatellites. With the addition of five polymorphic markers, the probability of finding two animals sharing the same profile was, on average, four in ten million for the entire dataset. In Slovakia in 2015, 65 126 red deers were recorded. Using only the five extra polymorphic markers, it was possible to obtain a reliable individual genetic traceability system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catch and consumption of torpedo scad ( Megalaspis cordyla ) over the western Indian Ocean, but also the western Pacific from Japan to Australia is constantly increasing. Taking into account the degree of exploitation and missing information on the population structure of torpedo scad stocks it is crucial to provide population data. The analysis included individuals obtained in 2012 and 2013 from local markets in Madagascar, Tanzania, Vietnam and Cambodia and after successful DNA extraction fragment of the nuclear rhodopsin gene (RH1) and 9 microsatellite regions (SSRs) were amplified and analysed. Based on the obtained results it was found that there was no 100% overlap between the compared RH1 sequences and those from GenBank. In the case of the studied SSRs, the results allowed the initial characterisation and assessment of the genetic diversity of populations. Moreover, population assignment test distinguished the studied populations into two geographically distant subpopulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic traceability has a key role in the product certification, but it is rarely implemented in sheep so far, especially in the fresh meat sector. In this study, the case of the Sambucana sheep is analysed with the aim of developing a genetic system able to certify the origin of its traditional product, the Sambucano lamb, protected by a registered trademark. A set of 14 microsatellite markers was identified as an efficient tool to genetically discriminate the Sambucana sheep from other breeds potentially involved in mislabelling and to allow for an effective allocation test of meat cuts labelled as ‘Guaranteed Sambucano lamb’. The paternity test proved to be an additional means to improve the reliability of the control. The traceability system here described is easy to implement in local minor sheep breeds and is recommended in the framework of meat certification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pork from Jeju black pig (population J) and Berkshire (population B) has a unique market share in Korea because of their high meat quality. Due to the high demand of this pork, traceability of the pork to its origin is becoming an important part of the consumer demand. To examine the feasibility of such a system, we aim to provide basic genetic information of the two black pig populations and assess the possibility of genetically distinguishing between the two breeds. Muscle samples were collected from slaughter houses in Jeju Island and Namwon, Chonbuk province, Korea, for populations J and B, respectively. In total 800 Jeju black pigs and 351 Berkshires were genotyped at thirteen microsatellite (MS) markers. Analyses on the genetic diversity of the two populations were carried out in the programs MS toolkit and FSTAT. The population structure of the two breeds was determined by a Bayesian clustering method implemented in structure and by a phylogenetic analysis in Phylip. Population J exhibited higher mean number of alleles, expected heterozygosity and observed heterozygosity value, and polymorphism information content, compared to population B. The FIS values of population J and population B were 0.03 and -0.005, respectively, indicating that little or no inbreeding has occurred. In addition, genetic structure analysis revealed the possibility of gene flow from population B to population J. The expected probability of identify value of the 13 MS markers was 9.87×10-14 in population J, 3.17×10-9 in population B, and 1.03×10-12 in the two populations. The results of this study are useful in distinguishing between the two black pig breeds and can be used as a foundation for further development of DNA markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]