FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the technical field of DNA barcoding, particularly to a method for the identification of seafood species in samples comprising the steps of isolating DNA from a sample, amplifying fragments of the isolated DNA using specific primers, sequencing of the amplified DNA fragments, and identifying the seafood species through sequence comparison with reference sequences. Further provided herein is a primer library and a kit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Food adulteration is a worldwide problem in various food products, e.g., in farm animal, wild animal, seafood, and also plant products. The term of food adulteration is not uniformly defined but in general, it describes misdeclaration of food intending to gain an economic benefit without limits (Robson, K. et al, 2021). Seafood has a high risk of fraud and seafood products are often mislabelled. According to Pardo, M. et al. (2016), up to 27 % of the seafood is mislabelled worldwide. Food adulteration includes, but is not limited to, replacement (a (valuable) ingredient is replaced by one of a lower value), relabelled or incorrectly labelled food. Incorrect labelling can result when different local names are used for the same species, when the same name is used for different species, or due to translation errors.

However, correct labelling of seafood products is important for traceability issues, protection of endangered species, mitigation of illegal fishing, and for individual reasons of end consumers (Rodriguez, E.M. and Ortea, L, 2017).

Correct declaration of seafood is regulated in the European Union. Thereby, international and national regulations exist to ensure legal trade in seafood and seafood products. The EU directive 1379/2013 regulates market organization of fishery and aquaculture products, including correct declaration of seafood. To comply with legal regulations, labels must include both the local trade name in the official language(s) and the correct scientific Latin name (Regulation (EU) No 1379/2013; Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011).

Regardless of clear and strict requirements for species declaration, incorrect labelling of e.g., bivalve products, has repeatedly been detected in Europe (Naumann, G. et al., 2012; Fernandes, T. et al., 2020). In German and Swiss studies, more than half of the products declared to contain “Jakobsmuschel” (or“Jacobsmuschel“) were labelled incorrectly. Although the German name “Jakobsmuschel” (or “Jacobsmuschel") may only be used for scallop species of the genus Pecten, species of other genera (particularly Placopecten and Mizuhopecteri) were identified in these products (Naumann, G. et al., 2012; Stephan, R. et al., 2014).

Compliance with regulations is especially important since seafood is gaining importance in human nutrition. In 2019, 107.6 billion US $ were made with the marketing of seafood (crustaceans and molluscs), compared to 8.1 billion US $ 30 years ago. In 2019, 1.03 million tons of mussels, scallops, and oysters were caught in nature and more than 10 million tons were cultivated in aquaculture, earning a profit of millions of US dollars. Worldwide, 6.1 million tonnes of crustaceans were caught and 10.5 million tonnes were cultivated in 2019. In the same year, 6.4 million tonnes of molluscs were caught and 17.6 million tonnes were cultivated.

Crustaceans and molluscs are divided into numerous genera comprising a high number of species with a worldwide distribution. A class of molluscs are for example bivalves, wherein Mytilidae (mussels), Pectinidae (scallops), and Ostreidae (oysters) are the most important bivalve species for human consumption. Each of these bivalve species is divided into several genera comprising a high number of species which makes correct identification of seafood species difficult using known methods.

In the case of seafood, especially for bivalves, morphological characteristics such as shell, colour and size may allow correct species classification. However, after shell removal or mechanical processing, classification by morphology may be hampered or even be impossible (Espineira, M. et al., 2009; Fernandez, A. et al., 2000).

Recently, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been shown to be suitable for accurate species identification of scallops (Stephan, R. et al., 2014). However, MALDI-TOF MS instruments are expensive and do not allow high throughput analysis. Therefore, this methodology is less applicable for routine analyses and for the fast identification of several seafood species.

DNA metabarcoding methods have been recently developed for the identification of mammalian and poultry species in food (Dobrovolny S. et al., 2019).

JP 2010004890 discloses primers and methods for detecting mackerel, salmon, abalone, squid, crab, and shrimp. Marin A. et al. (2015) disclose the use of Pectinidae family-specific primers for amplifying a partial region at the 5’ end of the 16S rRNA gene as a barcoding tool for scallops.

Marin A. et al. (2017) disclose a decaplex PCR assay for the detection of scallop species with species-specific primers targeting the variable 5’ end of the 16S rRNA gene.

Wen J. et al. (2017) discuss the species characterization of cephalopod products by DNA barcoding and phylogenetic analysis using CO/ and 16SrRNA genes.

Spielmann G. et al. (2019) disclose the comparison of three DNA marker regions for their suitability to identify food relevant crustaceans of the order Decapoda.

Sun S. et al. (2021) describe the application of DNA barcoding for the identification of dried shellfish products such as scallop, squid, octopus, and cuttlefish.

Klapper R. et al. (2021) disclose the identification of commercial scallop species through multiplex real-time PCR.

Gense K. et al. (2021 ) disclose a DNA metabarcoding method for the identification of bivalve species in seafood products.

However, methods which provide comprehensive information on the plurality of seafood species which are present in a food sample are still missing. Thus, there is an urgent need in the field for improved means of identifying several different seafood species in complex and processed foodstuffs suitable for food authentication in routine analysis.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the objective of the present invention to provide improved means and methods for the identification of several different seafood species in food samples.

The objective is solved by the subject matter of the present invention.

The present invention provides a method which is highly suitable for the identification of seafood species of different origin and processing degree in complex food samples. The inventors of the present invention surprisingly discovered a library of primers which can be incorporated in a fast and reliable metabarcoding method for the identification of a plurality of seafood species in food samples. Thereby, the specific primer sequences of the library are found particularly suitable for combining the primers in the amplification step since they are suitable for amplification at similar conditions such as at similar or even identical temperatures. Temperatures used in a PCR reaction highly depend on the specific characteristics of the primer sequences used in the reaction and may vary even for slightly altered primer sequences. For example, primers with different melting temperatures can hardly be combined successfully in one PCR reaction as the annealing temperature of the PCR reaction depends on the melting temperature of the used primers. Another advantage of the invention described herein is that the method is highly specific based on the specific primer sequences and the length of the primers. This invention successfully identifies seafood species with a low number of PCR cycles, even in highly processed food. The low PCR cycles decrease unspecific PCR results and thus lead to highly reliable results, especially by preventing false positive results.

According to the invention, there is provided a method for identifying seafood species in a sample, comprising the steps of a) isolating DNA from the sample, b) amplifying fragments of said DNA with one or more primer sets (ps) selected from the group of i. ps 1 for identifying seafood species of the family of Crustacean comprising one or more primer pairs of one forward primer selected from any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1 and 2, and the reverse primer SEQ ID NO: 15 and/or the reverse complement sequences of the primer sequences; ii. ps 2 for identifying seafood species of the family of Cephalopods comprising one or more primer pairs of one forward primer selected from any one of SEQ ID NOs: 3 to 5, and the reverse primer SEQ ID NO: 16 and/or reverse complement sequences of the primer sequences; iii. ps 3 for identifying seafood species of the family of Gastropoda comprising one or more primer pairs of the forward primer SEQ ID NO: 6, and one reverse primer selected from any one of SEQ ID NOs: 17 to 18 and/or reverse complement sequences of the primer sequences; iv. ps 4 for identifying seafood species of the family of Veneridae comprising one or more primer pairs of one forward primer selected from any one of SEQ ID NOs: 7 to 11 , and one reverse primer selected from any one of SEQ ID NOs: 19 to 21 and/or reverse complement sequences of the primer sequences; v. ps 5 for identifying seafood species of the family of Ostreidae comprising the forward primer SEQ ID NO: 12 and the reverse primer SEQ ID NO: 22 and/or reverse complement sequences of the primer sequences; vi. ps 6 for identifying seafood species of the family of Pectinidae comprising the forward primer SEQ ID NO: 13 and the reverse primer SEQ ID NO: 23 and/or reverse complement sequences of the primer sequences; and vii. ps 7 for identifying seafood species of the family of Mytilidae comprising one or more primer pairs of the forward primer SEQ ID NO: 14, and one reverse primer selected from any one of SEQ ID NOs: 24 to 25 and/or reverse complement sequences of the primer sequences, c) sequencing the amplified DNA fragments of step b), and d) identifying the seafood species by comparison of the sequences obtained by steps a) to c) with reference sequences of seafood species.

Specifically, amplifying of fragments of DNA in step b) is performed by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR), preferably by a PCR comprising 25-30 cycles, more preferably by 25 cycles, and preferably at an annealing temperature of 60-65 °C, more preferably at an annealing temperature of 62°C.

Specifically, amplifying fragments of the DNA in step b) is performed with at least 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 primer sets.

Specifically, the amplified DNA fragments of step b) are 16S rDNA fragments, preferably the amplified DNA fragments comprise 120bp-220bp of the 16S rDNA.

Specifically, the reference sequences of seafood species comprise the DNA sequence of the 16S rDNA of said seafood species.

More specifically, the reference sequences are any one of SEQ ID NOs: 28 to 1153, or any combinations thereof.

Specifically, the identified species of the family of Crustacean are selected from the following Group 1 : Varuna litterata, Hemisquilla ensigera, Gonodactylus smithii, Pullosquilla thomassini, Chorisquilla trigibbosa, Telmessus acutidens, Lithodes aequispinus, Panulirus echinatus, Jasus paulensis, Jasus caveorum, Parastacus pilimanus, Parastacus brasiliensis, Parastacus defossus, Parastacus nicoleti, Gonodactylus graphurus, Jasus lalandii, Lopholithodes mandtii, Lithodes spp., Lithodes maja, Jasus edwardsii, Panulirus regius, Panulirus pascuensis, Panulirus laevicauda, Panulirus gracilis, Panulirus guttatus, Panulirus femoristriga, Chionoecetes spp., Paralomis granulosa, Panulirus spp., Scyllarus arctus, Palinurus elephas, Episesarma mederi, Austropotamobius torrentium, Cycloachelous granulatus, Eriocheir recta, Cervimunida johni, Achelous floridanus, Portunus sayi, Portunus anceps,, Palinurus mauritanicus, Palinurus charleston i, Pseudosquilla ciliata, Pleuroncodes monodon, Portunus ventralis, Achelous spinicarpus, Callinectes toxotes, Callinectes danae, Callinectes ornatus, Callinectes marginatus, Callinectes affinis, Callinectes rathbunae, Callinectes bocourti, Callinectes similis, Callinectes bellicosus, Callinectes arcuatus, Metanephrops armatus, Metanephrops mozambicus, Metanephrops japonicus, Metanephrops spp., Metanephrops binghami, Parastacus pugnax, Paranephrops zealandicus, Callinectes exasperatus, Palinurus spp., Sagmariasus verreauxi, Metanephrops rubellus, Metanephrops challenger!, Metanephrops neptunus, Metanephrops australiensis, Metanephrops arafurensis, Metanephrops boschmai, Metanephrops formosanus, Metanephrops sinensis, Lithodes ferox, Oratosquillina interrupta, Odontodactylus japonicus, Miyakella nepa, Erugosquilla woodmasoni, Clorida decorata, Dictyosquilla foveolata, Anchisquilla fasciata, Scyllarides herklotsii, Astacus astacus, Portunus hastatus, Achelous ordwayi, Carcinus maenas, Portunus inaequalis, Astacoides madagascariensis, Erimacrus isenbecki, Hemisquilla australiensis, Austrosquilla tsangi, Fallosquilla fallax, Echinosquilla guerinii, Coronis scolopendra, Chorisquilla tweediei, Chorisquilla hystrix, Chorisquilla excavate, Busquilla plantei, Alima pacifica, Alima orientalis, Alachosquilla vicina, Gonodactylellus espinosus, Gonodactylellus affinis, Kempella mikado, Hemisquilla californiensis, Haptosquilla trispinosa, Haptosquilla glyptocercus, Gonodactylus platysoma, Gonodactylaceus falcatus, Gonodactylus child!, Gonodactylellus annularis, Odontodactylus scyllarus, Odontodactylus latirostris, Odontodactylus havanensis, Odontodactylus cultrifer, Neogonodactylus oersted!!, Neogonodactylus bredini, Neogonodactylus bahiahondensis, Lysiosquillina sulcata, Squilla rugosa, Raoulserenea spp., Raoulserenea oxyrhyncha, Pseudosquillopsis marmorata, Raoulserenea komaii, Protosquilla folini, Ibacus alticrenatus, Scyllarides nodifer, Scyllarides haanii, Scyllarides brasiliensis, Taku spinosocarinatus, Jasus frontalis, Procambarus paeninsulanus, Puerulus sewelli, Panulirus polyphagus, Panulirus longipes., Panulirus interruptus, Panulirus marginatus, Ibacus peronii, Ibacus chacei, Faxonella clypeata, Fallicambarus kountzeae, Arenaeus mexicanus, Cambarus tartarus, Chionoecetes tanner!, Thenus unimaculatus, Thenus indicus, Haptosquilla hamifera, Lithodes turritus, Bouchardina robisoni, Troglocambarus maclanei, Hobbseus yalobushensis, Hobbseus prominens, Charybdis spp., Hobbseus petilus, Faxonella creaseri, Thranita danae., Monomia petrea, Neogonodactylus wennerae, Xiphonectes pseudohastatoides, Gonodactylellus viridis, Gonodactylaceus ternatensis, Belosquilla laevis, Procambarus okaloosae, Procambarus morrisi, Procambarus milleri, Procambarus mancus, Procambarus lunzi, Hobbseus cristatus, Procambarus acutissimus, Faxonius pagei, Manningia pilaensis, Pontastacus leptodactylus, Procambarus zonangulus, Procambarus youngi, Procambarus seminolae, Procambarus pycnogonopodus, Procambarus orcinus, Procambarus pallidus, Alima maxima, Scyllarides deceptor, Monomia argentata, Xiphonectes pulchricristatus, Paralithodes platypus, Lopholithodes foraminatus, Faughnia formosae, Faughnia profunda, Bathysquilla crassispinosa, Eriocheir sinensis, Harpiosquilla harpax, Callinectes sapidus, Squilla mantis, Portunus trituberculatus, Panulirus japonicus, Cancer pagurus, Chionoecetes japonicus, Scylla tranquebarica, Scylla serrata, Eriocheir japonica, Eriocheir hepuensis, Cherax destructor, Squilla empusa, Lysiosquillina maculata, Gonodactylus chiragra, Panulirus homarus, Homarus americanus, Panulirus ornatus, Oratosquilla oratoria, Panulirus stimpsoni, Charybdis japonica, Scylla paramamosain, Scylla olivacea, Cherax quadricarinatus, Cherax cainii, Paralithodes brevipes, Paralithodes camtschaticus, Scyllarides latus, Procambarus clarkii, Procambarus fallax, Homarus gammarus, Thenus orientalis, Lithodes nintokuae, Cherax cairnsensis, Cherax dispar, Cherax quinquecarinatus, Cherax robustus, Cherax monticola, Cherax glaber, Cherax holthuisi, Astacopsis gouldi, Portunus pelagicus, Paranephrops planifrons, Nephrops norvegicus, Ibacus ciliatus, Charybdis feriata, Metanephrops sibogae, Panulirus cygnus, Metanephrops thomsoni, Faxonius limosus, Squilloides leptosquilla, Cherax bicarinatus, Austropotamobius pallipes, Cherax tenuimanus, Cherax boesemani, Charybdis (Charybdis) natator, Procambarus acutus, Pacifastacus leniusculus, Munida gregaria, Panulirus versicolor, Faxonius rusticus, Portunus sanguinolentus, Procambarus alleni, Metacarcinus magister, Puerulus angulatus, Lupocycloporus gracilimanus, Monomia gladiator, Varuna yui, Panulirus argus, Munida isos, Scyllarides squammosus, Cambaroides similis, Charybdis bimaculata, Cambarus robustus, Thalamita sima, Thranita crenata, Orconectes luteus, Orconectes punctimanus, Orconectes sanbornii, Cherax spp., Cherax crassimanus, Cherax preissii, Munida spinosa, Munida asprosoma, Munida leagora, Munida alonsoi, Munida taenia, Munida gordoae, Munida zebra, Munida distiza, Munida psamathe, Munida thoe, Munida guttata, Munida stia, Munida ommata, Munida roshanei, Munida compressa, Munida clinata, Munida chydaea, Munida com pacta, Munida eclepsis, Munida tyche, Munida philippinensis, Munida armilia, Munida mesembria, Munida spilota, Munida benguela, Munida endeavourae, Munida agave, Munida idyia, Munida militaris, Munida flinti, Munida congesta, Munida rubridigitalis, Munida iris, Munida microphthalma, Munida rufiantennulata, Munida pusilia, Munida remota, Munida leptosyne, Munida rosula, Munida munin, Munida valida, Munida proto, Enriquea leviantennata, Munida multilineata, Munida pagesi, Munida stomifera, Munida quadrispina, Munida tiresias, Munida psylla, Munida heteracantha, Paralomis formosa, Paralomis spinosissima, Paralomis birsteini, Paralomis hirtella, Scyllarus subarctus, Scyllarus pygmaeus, Scyllarus chacei, Scyllarus caparti, Scyllarus americanus, Episesarma palawanense, Episesarma singaporense, Austropotamobius fulcisianus orientalis, Achelous tumidulus, Achelous asper, Achelous sebae, Portunus acuminatus, Achelous tuberculatus, Achelous iridescens, Portunus xantusii, Achelous depressifrons, Achelous rufiremus, Achelous gibbesii, Portunus minimus, Achelous Stanford!, Achelous brevimanus, Portunus affinis, Achelous angustus, Achelous binoculus, Oratosquillina inornata, Oratosquillina asiatica, Oratosquillina anomala, Oratosquillina perpensa, Erugosquilla graham, Busquilla quadraticauda, Kempella stridulans, Gonodactylaceus graphurus, Gonodactylaceus randalli, Carcinus aestuarii, Menippe rumphii, Menippe nodifrons, Menippe spp., Procambarus liberorum, Procambarus toltecae, Procambarus curdi, Procambarus digueti, Procambarus nigrocinctus, Procambarus versutus, Procambarus gibbus, Cambarus pecki, Procambarus geminus, Charybdis acuta, Creaserinus fodiens, Fallicambarus jeanae, Creaserinus gordoni, Creaserinus caesius, Fallicambarus dissitus, Creaserinus danielae, Fallicambarus oryktes, Fallicambarus byersi, Creaserinus burrisi, Creaserinus gilpini, Fallicambarus harpi, Fallicambarus macneesei, Fallicambarus petilicarpus, Fallicambarus walls!, Fallicambarus strawni, Fallicambarus devastator, Fallicambarus houstonensis, Fallicambarus hortoni, Arenaeus cribrarius, Cambarus spp., Cambarus deweesae, Cambarus striatus, Cambarus graysoni, Cambarus monongalensis, Cambarus pyronotus, Cambarus maculatus, Cambarus latimanus, Cambarus strigosus, Cambarus parrishi, Cambarus bouchardi, Cambarus fasciatus, Cambarus harti, Cambarus nerterius, Cambarus setosus, Cambarus batch!, Cambarus hall!,, Cambarus unestami, Cambarus reburrus, Cambarus gentry, Cambarus hubbsi, Cambarus friaufi, Cambarus obeyensis, Cambarus cracens, Cambarus asperimanus, Cambarus hobbsorum, Cambarus williami, Cambarus howardi, Cambarus obstipus, Cambarus girardianus, Cambarus cryptodytes, Cambarus sciotensis, Cambarus georgiae, Cambarus pristinus, Cambarus aculabrum, Cambarus englishi, Cambarus brachydactylus, Cambarus cumberlandensis, Cambarus dubius, Cambarus reflexus, Cambarus scotti, Cambarus longirostris, Cambarus hubrichti, Monomia lucida, Faughnia serene!, Harpiosquilla melanoura, Harpiosquilla annandalei, Cherax cuspidatus, Cherax paniaicus, Cherax lorentzi, Cherax albertisii, Cherax rotundus, Cherax leckii, Cherax murido, Cherax wasselli, Cherax parvus, Cherax pallidus, Cherax cartalacoolah, Cherax rhynchotus, Cherax pulcher, Cherax peknyi, Cherax setosus, Cherax misolicus, Cherax warsamsonicus, Cherax snowden, Cherax boschmai, Cherax nucifraga, Cherax barrette, Oratosquilla fabricii, Astacopsis tricornis, Thalamita admete, Faxonius virilis, Thranita prymna, Astacopsis franklinii, Cambaroides schrenckii, Orconectes australis, Thalamita chaptalii, Zygita longifrons, Thalamita picta, Thalamita seurati, Thranita pelsarti, Orconectes barri, Faxonius ronaldi, Faxonius neglectus, Orconectes compressus, Orconectes forceps, Orconectes pellucidus, Neoeriocheir leptognathus, Penaeus kerathurus, Penaeus marginatus, Penaeus longistylus, Penaeus plebejus, Metapenaeopsis Hui, Metapenaeopsis lamellata, Metapenaeopsis acclivis, Metapenaeopsis commensalis, Atypopenaeus stenodactylus, Aristeus antillensis, Solenocera vioscai, Penaeus chinensis, Penaeus spp., Metapenaeopsis barbata, Penaeus esculentus, Heteropenaeus longimanus, Atypopenaeus dearmatus, Funchalia taaningi, Xiphopenaeus kroyeri, Trachypenaeopsis mobilispinis, Rimapenaeus similis, Parapenaeus politus, Solenocera membranacea, Alcockpenaeopsis hungerfordii, Batepenaeopsis tenella, Pandalus platyceros, Metapenaeus moyebi, Metapenaeus joyneri, Pandalus montagui, Penaeus brasiliensis, Aristeus antennatus, Heterocarpus laevigatus, Heterocarpus lepidus, Funchalia villosa, Hemipenaeus carpenter, Mesopenaeus tropicalis, Pelagopenaeus balboae, Penaeus hathor, Metapenaeopsis provocatoria, Aristeus virilis, Aristeus alcock, Penaeus aztecus, Heterocarpus abulbus, Penaeus setiferus, Cerataspis monstrosus, Pleoticus robustus, Aristaeopsis edwardsiana, Solenocera necopina, Parapenaeus cayrei, Parapenaeus fissurus, Parapenaeus investigatoris, Parapenaeus fissuroides, Parapenaeus americanus, Heterocarpus ensifer, Kishinouyepenaeopsis cornuta, Parapenaeus perezfarfantae, Parapenaeus murrayi, Parapenaeus longipes, Parapenaeus spp., Heterocarpus chani, Heterocarpus sibogae, Heterocarpus dorsalis, Metapenaeopsis andamanensis, Metapenaeopsis coniger, Macrobrachium idella, Trachysalambria brevisuturae, Trachysalambria aspera, Trachysalambria albicoma, Euphausia superba, Solenocera hextii, Hymenopenaeus equalis, Rimapenaeus constrictus, Crangon crangon, Trachypenaeus anchoralis, Megokris spp., Trachysalambria longipes, Trachysalambria starobogatovi, Trachysalambria nansei, Trachysalambria malaiana, Trachysalambria spp., Trachysalambria parvispina, Crangon uritai, Pandalus borealis, Metapenaeus monoceros, Pandalus nipponensis, Hadropenaeus lucasii, Ganjampenaeopsis uncta, Solenocera annectens, Solenocera melantho, Parapenaeopsis stylifera, Penaeus japonicus, Penaeus brevirostris, Penaeus notialis, Penaeus duorarum, Penaeus schmitti, Artemesia longinaris, Penaeus subtilis, Penaeus stylirostris, Penaeus vannamei, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, Penaeus monodon, Pandalus hypsinotus, Heterocarpus spp., Pandalus jordani, Macrobrachium bullatum, Penaeus merguiensis, Metapenaeus ensis, Acetes chinensis, Macrobrachium nipponense, Penaeus californiensis, Macrobrachium lanchesteri, Pleoticus muelleri, Metapenaeus affinis, Hymenopenaeus neptunus, Penaeus indicus, Aristaeomorpha foliacea, Solenocera spp., Mierspenaeopsis hardwickii, Penaeus latisulcatus, Penaeus semisulcatus, Penaeus isabelae, Sicyonia lancifer, Metapenaeopsis dalei, Metapenaeopsis gerardoi, Parapenaeus longirostris, Pandalus eous, Pandalus miyakei, Pandalus japonicas, Pandalus glabrus, Pandalus teraoi, Pandalus ivanovi, Pandalus coccinatus, Pandalus formosanus, Pandalus chani, Pandalus spp., Pandalus longirostris, Pandalus latirostris, Metapenaeus spp., Palaemon spp., Palaemon serratus, Macrobrachium nipponense, Palaemon capensis, Palaemon sinensis , Palaemon annandalei, Palaemon gravieri, Palaemon serenus, Palaemon carinicauda, Palaemon pugio, Palaemon pandaliformis, Palaemon elegans, Palaemon longirostris, Palaemon peringueyi, Palaemon debilis, Palaemon carteri, Palaemon ritteri, Palaemon orientis, Macrobrachium gracilirostre, Palaemon vulgaris, Palaemon serrifer, Palaemon varians, Palaemon macrodactylus, Palaemon tonkinensis, Palaemon xiphias, Palaemon ivonicus, Palaemon pacificus, Palaemon atrinubes, Palaemon intermedius, Palaemon concinnus, Palaemon yuna, Palaemon antennarius, Palaemon dolospinus, Palaemon gracilis, Palaemon mundusnovus, Palaemon suttkusi, Palaemon zariquieyi, Macrobrachium australiense, Palaemon semmelinkii, Palaemon litoreus, Palaemon septemtrionalis, Palaemon guangdongensis, Palaemon hancocki, Palaemon vietnamicus, Palaemon texanus, Palaemon ortmanni, Palaemon turcorum, Palaemon kadiakensis, Macrobrachium asperulum, Macrobrachium australe, Macrobrachium olfersii, Macrobrachium jelskii, Macrobrachium villosimanus, Macrobrachium equidens, Macrobrachium potiuna, Macrobrachium malcolmsonii, Macrobrachium superbum, Macrobrachium striatum, Macrobrachium latidactylus, Macrobrachium hancocki, Macrobrachium acanthurus, Macrobrachium inflatum, Macrobrachium crenulatum, Macrobrachium carcinus, Macrobrachium americanum, Macrobrachium latimanus, Macrobrachium mammillodactylus, Macrobrachium faustinum, Macrobrachium heterochirus, Macrobrachium scabriculum, Macrobrachium digueti, Macrobrachium tenellum, Macrobrachium idae, Macrobrachium formosense, Macrobrachium dienbienphuense, Macrobrachium placidulum, Macrobrachium sintangense, Macrobrachium niphanae, Macrobrachium totonacum, Macrobrachium tuxtlaense, Macrobrachium vicconi, Macrobrachium villalobosi, Macrobrachium amazonicum, Macrobrachium canarae, Macrobrachium tratense, Macrobrachium forcipatum, Macrobrachium hirsutimanus, Macrobrachium borellii, Macrobrachium brasiliense, Macrobrachium aemulum, Macrobrachium handschini, Macrobrachium horstii, Macrobrachium ferreirai, Macrobrachium lanatum, Macrobrachium novaehollandiae, Macrobrachium tolmerum, Macrobrachium iheringi, Macrobrachium saigonense, Macrobrachium nattereri, Macrobrachium aracamuni, Macrobrachium inpa, Macrobrachium depressimanum, Macrobrachium surinamicum, Macrobrachium denticulatum, Macrobrachium pilimanus, Macrobrachium ohione, Macrobrachium hainanense, Macrobrachium lepidactyloides, Macrobrachium jaroense, Macrobrachium esculentum, Macrobrachium maculatum, Macrobrachium edentatum, Macrobrachium grandimanus, Macrobrachium malayanum, Macrobrachium meridionale, Macrobrachium neglectum, Macrobrachium platycheles, Macrobrachium naso, Macrobrachium placidum, Macrobrachium yui, Macrobrachium shokitai, Macrobrachium sundaicum, Macrobrachium rude, Macrobrachium lamarrei, Macrobrachium sankolli, Macrobrachium gangeticum, Trachysalambria palaestinensis, Euphausia pacifica, Euphausia lucens, Euphausia vallentini, Euphausia triacantha, Euphausia longirostris, Euphausia similis, Euphausia recurve, Euphausia krohni, Euphausia frigida, Euphausia gibboides, Euphausia eximia, Euphausia americana, Euphausia tenera, Euphausia pseudogibba, Euphausia hemigibba, Euphausia brevis, Hymenopenaeus debilis and Nematopalaemon tenuipes (Group 1).

More specifically, the identified species of the family of Crustacean are selected from Group 1 and are listed in Group 1A: Jasus edwardsii, Metanephrops japonicus, Astacus astacus, Eriocheir sinensis, Cancer pagurus, Chionoecetes opilio, Cherax destructor, Homarus americanus, Paralithodes camtschaticus, Procambarus clarkii, Homarus gammarus, Nephrops norvegicus, Panulirus argus, Penaeus setiferus, Aristaeopsis edwardsiana, Crangon, Pandalus borealis, Metapenaeus monoceros, Penaeus notialis, Penaeus duorarum, Penaeus vannamei, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, Penaeus monodon, Penaeus californiensis, Pleoticus muelleri, Penaeus indicus, and Monomia gladiator.

More specifically, the identified species of the family of Crustacean are selected from Group 1 and are listed in Group 1 B: Cancer pagurus, Chionoecetes opilio, Homarus americanus, Paralithodes camtschaticus, Procambarus clarkii, Homarus gammarus, Nephrops norvegicus, Panulirus argus, Crangon, Pandalus borealis, Metapenaeus monoceros, Penaeus vannamei, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, Penaeus monodon, and Pleoticus muelleri.

Specifically, the identified species of the family of Cephalopods are selected from the following Group 2: Loligo forbesii, Nototodarus sloanii, Sepia spp., Sepia lorigera, Sepia pardex, Rossia pacifica, Berryteuthis magister, Eledone massyae, Sepia robsoni, Loligo reynaudii, Doryteuthis (Amerigo) pealeii, Doryteuthis (Amerigo) gahi, Sepiola rondeletii, , Adinaefiola ligulata, Sepia smithi, Sepia elliptica, Eledone palari, Eledone moschata, Rossia palpebrosa, Gonatus madokai, Gonatus kamtschaticus, Eledone cirrhosa, Sepia elegans, Rossia bipillata, Sepiola atlantica, Lolliguncula (Lolliguncula) panamensis, Octopus maya, ///ex illecebrosus, Nototodarus gouldi, Gonatopsis octopedatus, ///ex coindetii, Berryteuthis anonychus, Gonatus fabricii, Lusepiola birostrata, Octopus tetricus, Uroteuthis (Photololigo) sibogae, Doryteuthis (Doryteuthis) pleii, Doryteuthis sanpaulensis, Doryteuthis (Amerigo) surinamensis, Octopus hubbsorum, Macrotritopus defilippi, Octopus insularis, Loliolus (Nipponololigo) sumatrensis, Sepia recurvirostra, Sepia madokai, Sepia kobiensis, Amphioctopus aegina, Sepia officinalis, Sepioteuthis lessoniana, Todarodes pacificus, Octopus vulgaris, Heterololigo bleekeri, Octopus sinensis, Octopus americanus, Narrowteuthis nesisi, Ommastrephes bartramii, Sepiella japonica, Uroteuthis (Photololigo) edulis, Doryteuthis (Amerigo) opalescens, Architeuthis dux, Dosidicus gigas, Sepia esculenta, Amphioctopus fangsiao, Loligo vulgaris, Sepiola spp., Octopus mimus, Octopus spp., Octopus bimaculoides, Uroteuthis (Photololigo) chinensis, Uroteuthis (Photololigo) duvaucelii, ///ex argentinus, Sepia aculeata, Sepiella inermis, Sepia lycidas, Sepia latimanus, Sepia apama, Sepia pharaonis, Loliolus (Nipponololigo) beka, Alloteuthis subulata, Nototodarus hawaiiensis, Sepia orbignyana, Sepia papuensis, Rossia macrosoma, Lolliguncula (Lolliguncula) brevis, Lolliguncula (Loliolopsis) diomedeae, Afrololigo mercatoris, Octopus bimaculatus, Octopus cyanea, Callistoctopus ornatus, Enteroctopus megalocyathus,, Sasakiopus salebrosus, Octopus berrima, Amphioctopus marginatus, Octopus maorum, Octopus fitchi, Amphioctopus neglectus, Loliolus (Nipponololigo) uyii, Loliolus (Nipponololigo) japonica, Bathyteuthis abyssicola, Semirossia patagonica, Cistopus taiwanicus, Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis, Watasenia scintillans, Gonatopsis okutanii, Uroteuthis (Aestuariolus) noctiluca, Sepioteuthis australis, Sepioteuthis sepioidea, Amphioctopus kagoshimensis, Amphioctopus membranaceus, Amphioctopus exannulatus, Amphioctopus rex and Sepia peterseni (Group 2).

More specifically, the identified species of the family of Cephalopods are selected from Group 2 and are listed in Group 2A: Doryteuthis (Amerigo) gahi, Eledone moschata, Octopus maya, Doryteuthis (Doryteuthis) pleii, Amphioctopus aegina, Sepia officinalis, Octopus vulgaris, Sepiella japonica, Uroteuthis (Photololigo) edulis, Doryteuthis (Amerigo) opalescens, Dosidicus gigas, Loligo vulgaris, Uroteuthis (Photololigo) chinensis, Uroteuthis (Photololigo) duvaucelii, Sepiella inermis, Sepia pharaonis, and Amphioctopus membranaceus.

More specifically, the identified species of the family of Cephalopods are selected from Group 2 and are listed in Group 2B: Doryteuthis (Amerigo) gahi, Doryteuthis (Doryteuthis) pleii, Sepia officinalis, Octopus vulgaris, Sepiella japonica, Uroteuthis (Photololigo) edulis, Dosidicus gigas, Loligo vulgaris, Uroteuthis (Photololigo) chinensis, and Uroteuthis (Photololigo) duvaucelii.

Specifically, the identified species of the family of Gastropoda are selected from the following Group 3: Helix pomatia, Achatina fulica, Helix aspersa, Helix aspersa maxima, Helix thessalica, Helix lucorum, Helix nicaeensis, Achatina reticulata, Helix aperta, Helix albescens, Tyrrhenaria ceratina, Helix vladika, Helix spp., Pleurodonte discolor, Pleurodonte lychnuchus, Erctella mazzullii, Erctella cephalaeditana, Pleurodonte formosa, Helix christophi, Helix nordmanni, Pleurodonte nucleola, Pleurodonte parilis, Gonostomopsis auridens, Caracolus caracollus, Lacteoluna selenina, Cernuella cisalpine, Cochlicella acuta, Disculella maderensis, Dialeuca nemoraloides, Monadenia fidelis, Cepaea nemoralis, Sphincterochila candidissima, Microphysula ingersolli, Helicodonta obvoluta and Cernuella virgata (Group 3).

More specifically, the identified species of the family of Gastropoda are selected from Group 3 and are listed in Group 3A: Helix pomatia, Achatina fulica, Helix aspersa, Helix aspersa maxima, Helix lucorum, and Achatina reticulata.

More specifically, the identified species of the family of Gastropoda are selected from Group 3 and are listed in Group 3B: Helix pomatia and Achatina reticulata.

Specifically, the identified species of the family of Veneridae are selected from the following Group 4: Tridacna mbalavuana, Siliqua alta, Megangulus zyonoensis, Megangulus venulosus, Donax faba, Donax cuneatus, Donax kiusiuensis, Mactra quadrangularis, Ensis ensis, Chamelea gallina, Spisula subtruncata, Polititapes rhomboides, Callista chione, Venerupis corrugate, Polititapes aureus, Venus crebrisulca, Mercenaria campechiensis, Antigona lamellaris, Ameghinomya antiqua, Ameghinomya spp., Callista erycina, Venerupis aspera, Paphia philippiana, Venus casina, Ensis spp., Mactra stultorum, Ensis macha, Siliqua minima, Ensis leei, Polititapes durus, Cerastoderma glaucum, Tridacna spp., Donax longissimus, Solen vaginoides, Venus verrucosa, Ezocallista brevisiphonata,, Procardium indicum, Cardium maxicostatum, Cardium costatum, Acanthocardia paucicostata, Acanthocardia echinata, Acanthocardia aculeata, Solen spp., Ruditapes philippinarum, Corculum card Issa, Spisula solida, Scrobicularia plana, Mactra spp., Chamelea striatula, Ensis siliqua, Serripes groenlandicus, Tridacna elongatissima, Tridacna rosewateri, Meretrix lamarckii, Meretrix lusoria, Paphia euglypta, Meretrix spp., Acanthocardia tuberculata, Tridacna maxima, Lutraria rhynchaena, Meretrix lyrata, Arctica islandica, Solen strictus, Paratapes undulatus, Paratapes textilis, Paphia amabilis, Solen grandis, Lutraria maxima, Donax vittatus, Donax variegatus, Donax trunculus, Donax semistriatus, Ruditapes decussatus, Cerastoderma edule, Tridacna squamosa, Mactra chinensis and Mercenaria mercenaria (Group 4).

More specifically, the identified species of the family of Veneridae are selected from Group 4 and are listed in Group 4A: Ensis ensis, Chamelea gallina, Callista chione, Venus verrucosa, Ruditapes philippinarum, Ensis siliqua, Meretrix lyrata, Donax trunculus, and Cerastoderma edule.

More specifically, the identified species of the family of Veneridae are selected from Group 4 and are listed in Group 4B: Ensis ensis, Callista chione, Ruditapes philippinarum, Meretrix lyrata, and Cerastoderma edule.

Specifically, the identified species of the family of Ostreidae are selected from the following Group 5: Magallana bilineata, Magallana gigas, Crassostrea virginica, Magallana spp., Magallana angulata, Magallana sikamea, Magallana ariakensis, Ostrea denselamellosa, Magallana nippona, Ostrea edulis, Crassostrea spp., Crassostrea tulipa, Ostrea angasi, Magallana belcher! , Crassostrea rhizophorae,, Talonostrea talonata, Crassostrea corteziensis, Ostrea spp., Ostrea chilensis, Ostrea algoensis, Ostrea megodon, Saccostrea cuccullata, Saccostrea palmula, Saccostrea malabonensis, Saccostrea scyphophilla, Saccostrea kegaki, and Saccostrea spp. (Group 5).

More specifically, the identified species of the family of Ostreidae are selected from Group 5 and are listed in Group 5A: Magallana gigas, Crassostrea virginica, and Ostrea edulis. Specifically, the identified species of the family of Pectinidae are selected from the following Group 6: Euvola spp., Mimachlamys crassicostata, Gloripallium pallium, Flexopecten glaber,, Aequipecten opercu laris, Nod I pecten nodosus, Scaeochlamys livida, Pecten spp., Talochlamys multistriata, Patinopecten caurinus, Chlamys behringiana, Placopecten septemradiatus, Pecten maximus, Zygochlamys delicatula, Chlamys hastata, Ylistrum japonicum, Talochlamys gemmulata, Zygochlamys patagonica, Argopecten purpuratus, Argopecten irradians, Azumapecten farreri, Mizuhopecten yessoensi, Placopecten magellanicus, Chlamys islandica, Argopecten ventricosus, Mimachlamys varia, Amusium pleuronectes, Mimachlamys sanguinea, Talochlamys dichroa, Mimachlamys gloriosa, Mimachlamys cloacata, Mimachlamys asperrima, Annachlamys striatula, Decatopecten radula, Bractechlamys vexillum, Aequipecten glyptus, Scaeochlamys lemniscata, Chlamys rubida, Karnekampia sulcata, Crassadoma gigantea, and Ylistrum ballot! (Group 6).

More specifically, the identified species of the family of Pectinidae are selected from Group 6 and are listed in Group 6A: Aequipecten opercularis, Pecten maximus, Pecten jacobaeus, Zygochlamys patagonica, Argopecten purpuratus, Mizuhopecten yessoensi, and Placopecten magellanicus.

Specifically, the identified species of the family of Mytilidae are selected from the following Group 7: Mytilus spp., Perna perna, Mytilus unguiculatus, Perna viridis, Mytilus californianus, Mytilus trossulus, Mytilus galloprovincialis, Mytilus edulis and Perna canaliculus (Group 7).

More specifically, the identified species of the family of Mytilidae are selected from Group 7 and are listed in Group 7A: Perna perna Mytilus californianus, Mytilus trossulus, Mytilus galloprovincialis, Mytilus edulis and Perna canaliculus.

More specifically, the identified species of the family of Mytilidae are selected from Group 7 and are listed in Group 7B: Mytilus galloprovincialis, Mytilus edulis and Perna canaliculus.

Further provided herein is a kit for identifying seafood species in a sample, comprising one or more primer sets selected from the group of i. ps 1 for identifying seafood species of the family of Crustacean comprising one or more primer pairs of one forward primer selected from any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1 and 2, and the reverse primer SEQ ID NO: 15 and/or the reverse complement sequences of the primer sequences; ii. ps 2 for identifying seafood species of the family of Cephalopods comprising one or more primer pairs of one forward primer selected from any one of SEQ ID NOs: 3 to 5, and the reverse primer SEQ ID NO: 16 and/or reverse complement sequences of the primer sequences; iii. ps 3 for identifying seafood species of the family of Gastropoda comprising one or more primer pairs of the forward primer SEQ ID NO: 6, and one reverse primer selected from any one of SEQ ID NOs: 17 to 18 and/or reverse complement sequences of the primer sequences; iv. ps 4 for identifying seafood species of the family of Veneridae comprising one or more primer pairs of one forward primer selected from any one of SEQ ID NOs: 7 to 11 , and one reverse primer selected from any one of SEQ ID NOs: 19 to 21 and/or reverse complement sequences of the primer sequences; v. ps 5 for identifying seafood species of the family of Ostreidae comprising the forward primer SEQ ID NO: 12 and the reverse primer SEQ ID NO: 22 and/or reverse complement sequences of the primer sequences; vi. ps 6 for identifying seafood species of the family of Pectinidae comprising the forward primer SEQ ID NO: 13 and the reverse primer SEQ ID NO: 23 and/or reverse complement sequences of the primer sequences; and vii. ps 7 for identifying seafood species of the family of Mytilidae comprising one or more primer pairs of the forward primer SEQ ID NO: 14, and one reverse primer selected from any one of SEQ ID NOs: 24 to 25 and/or reverse complement sequences of the primer sequences, optionally further comprising PCR components, buffers, reagents and/or an instruction manual.

Further provided herein is a library of primer sequences comprising any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 25, or any combinations of SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 25.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Unless indicated or defined otherwise, all terms used herein have their usual meaning in the art, which will be clear to the skilled person. Reference is for example made to the standard handbooks, such as Sambrook et al, "Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual" (4th Ed.), Vols. 1 -3, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (2012); Krebs et al., "Lewin's Genes XI", Jones & Bartlett Learning, (2017); Berg et al, “Stryer Biochemie” Springer Verlag, 2018; and Murphy & Weaver, "Janeway's Immunobiology" (9th Ed., or more recent editions), Taylor & Francis Inc, 2017.

The subject matter of the claims specifically refers to artificial products or methods employing or producing such artificial products, which may be variants of native (wildtype) products. Though there can be a certain degree of sequence identity to the native structure, it is well understood that the materials, methods and uses of the invention, e.g., specifically referring to isolated nucleic acid sequences, amino acid sequences, expression constructs, transformed host cells and modified proteins and enzymes, are “man-made” or synthetic, and are therefore not considered as a result of “laws of nature”.

The terms “comprise”, “contain”, “have” and “include” as used herein can be used synonymously and shall be understood as an open definition, allowing further members or parts or elements. “Consisting” is considered as a closest definition without further elements of the consisting definition feature. Thus “comprising” is broader and contains the “consisting” definition.

The term “about” as used herein refers to the same value or a value differing by +/-5 % of the given value.

As used herein and in the claims, the singular form, for example “a”, “an” and “the” includes the plural, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The method of the present invention relates to the field of DNA barcoding. Compared with existing morphological identification methods, the method of the present invention is not affected by the experience of inspectors or the morphological changes after processing, which greatly improves the feasibility of sample detection. Compared with the existing DNA barcoding techniques, the present invention solves the problem of false negative results in highly processed foods caused by the difficulty in amplifying DNA of bivalve organisms by the existing DNA barcodes. Therefore, the DNA barcode and its application method established by the present invention are important supplements to the existing DNA barcoding techniques, and can be used to simultaneously identify a plurality of seafood species of the family of Crustacean, Cephalopods, Gastropoda, Veneridae, Ostreidae, Pectinidae, and Mytilidae even if present in very low amounts.

The DNA barcoding identification technique is mainly used for species identification by using relatively short DNA fragments in the organism with sufficient variation that can represent and map this species by means of PCR amplification, sequencing and alignment, etc. DNA barcoding aims at detecting a broad range of species by using universal primer systems. DNA metabarcoding allows the identification of multiple species in food samples in one and the same sequencing run.

DNA barcodes commonly contain conserved regions at both ends, serving as binding sites for universal primers, and a variable part in between the primer binding sites, for differentiation between the species of interest. Due to its high copy number and robustness, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is preferred over genomic DNA. The mtDNA regions most commonly used for species identification are cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), cytochrome b (cyt b), and 16S ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA).

According to the invention, seafood species are identified based on a barcoding method. The term “seafood species” refers to species of the following families: Crustacean, Cephalopods, Gastropoda, Veneridae, Ostreidae, Pectinidae, and Mytilidae. In biological classification, the taxonomic rank is the relative level of a group of organisms in a taxonomic hierarchy. As used herein, the following taxonomic ranks are referred to as according to their relative level of a group of organisms in descending taxonomic hierarchy: family, genus, species. As an example, the species Pecten jacobaeus and Placopecten magellanicus belong to the genus Pecten and the genus Pecten belongs to the family of Pectinidae.

According to a specific embodiment, the seafood species identified according to the invention are the species described herein selected from the group of families of Crustacean, Cephalopods, Gastropoda (snails), Veneridae (venus clams), Ostreidae (oysters), Pectinidae (scallops), and Mytilidae (mussels).

The term “sample” refers to samples which may be taken from different seafood, foodstuff, different origin of the foodstuff and various processing degrees of the food. For example, the sample is taken from sauces, soups, seafood mix, chips, pastes, seafood in cans e.g. mussels in various sauces, raw or frozen seafood, or raw or frozen seafood ingredients.

According to one embodiment of the invention, DNA is isolated from a sample. DNA can be isolated from a sample e.g., by using special kits for DNA isolation/extraction or by using the CTAB (ionic detergent cetyltrimethylammonium bromide)-method. The method for isolating DNA according to the invention enables the isolation of DNA from different samples, specifically from food samples.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the amplification of DNA fragments of isolated DNA is performed by PCR (polymerase chain reaction). Variations of PCR may be used, e.g. real time PCR with intercalating dyes. In another embodiment, in order to improve the PCR amplification according to the invention, concentrations of compounds commonly used in PCR technology may be adapted. For example, the concentration of magnesium chloride, commonly used in PCR amplification assays, may be increased or decreased depending on the specific setup.

In yet another embodiment, PCR methods rely commonly on thermal cycling, wherein the DNA is replicated by repeated cycles of heating and cooling permitting different temperature-dependent reactions. In general, one PCR-cycle comprises the steps of denaturation, annealing, and extension. Accordingly, the PCR method according to the invention comprises 25-30 cycles for the amplification of DNA fragments. Specifically, the PCR method according to the invention comprises 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, or 30 cycles.

In yet another specific embodiment, the PCR method according to the invention comprises an annealing temperature of 60-65 °C, specifically 60, 61 , 62, 63, 64, or 65 °C. More specifically, the annealing temperature is 62 °C.

According to one embodiment, in the PCR assay of the invention, DNA fragments of different seafood species are amplified in one single PCR assay due to the usage of multiple primer pairs. Thereby, a primer pair is consisting of one forward and one reverse primer. Multiplex PCR is enabled since multiple primer pairs are used within a single PCR mixture to produce amplicons of different DNA sequences. Thereby, several different DNA sequences can be amplified simultaneously. By amplifying multiple different DNA fragments at once, additional information is gained from a single test-run.

According to one embodiment of the invention, fragments of the 16S rDNA of the mtDNA region are amplified from isolated DNA samples. Thus, the mtDNA region used for seafood species identification is the 16S rDNA.

In a specific embodiment, the 16S rDNA fragments comprise 130bp to 220 bp. The length of 16S rDNA fragments vary among the seafood species to be identified. The 16S rDNA fragments comprise 190bp to 220bp, 150bp to 160bp, or 130bp to 150 bp. Specifically, for species of the family of Crustacean, the 16S rDNA fragments comprise 198-220bp. Specifically, for species of the family of Cephalopods, the 16S rDNA fragments comprise 194-220bp. Specifically, for species of the family of Gastropoda, the 16S rDNA fragments comprise 154-157bp. Specifically, for species of the family of Veneridae, the 16S rDNA fragments comprise 128-149bp. Specifically, for species of the families of Ostreidae, Pectinidae, and Mytilidae, the 16S rDNA fragments comprise 133-148bp.

According to the invention, a primer pair consisting of one forward primer and one reverse primer binds to a conserved region at both ends of the 16S rDNA fragment which is targeted to be amplified by PCR. In order to identify the seafood species according to the invention, a PCR product has to be obtained for the species to be identified. Due to high sequence variability between closely related seafood species of certain families, more than one primer pair is needed to obtain a PCR product for all the species of the family.

Specifically, the term “primer set” as used herein refers to the set of all the primer pairs which are needed for the identification of seafood species of a specific family, wherein the families are the following: Crustacean, Cephalopods, Gastropoda, Veneridae, Ostreidae, Pectinidae, and Mytilidae. As an example, three primer sets are needed for the identification of seafood species belonging the three families, Pectinidae, Ostreidae, and Mytilidae and each primer set is specific for one of the families.

More specifically, depending on the specific family, the primer set comprises one primer pair consisting of one forward primer and one reverse primer or comprises more than one primer pair. In the case that the primer set comprises more than one primer pair, each of the primer sequences of the primer set can be used to form multiple primer pairs. For example, if one primer set comprises two forward primer sequences and one reverse primer sequence, two primer pairs are formed. These two primer pairs are formed by selecting one forward primer from the two forward primer sequences and combining the forward primer sequence with the reverse primer sequence.

The herein described primers enable a simultaneous use in one single PCR reaction because of their specific characteristics such as their sequence length. For a simultaneous PCR reaction using different primers and primer pairs, it is important that all primers are suitable for the selected PCR conditions. For example, slight variations of the sequence of a primer (or primer pair) can result in an altered melting temperature which can ultimately lead to an unsuccessful PCR reaction if the annealing temperature of the PCR reaction is not adjusted. For example, using other primers known in the art, such as the primers disclosed in JP 2010004890, could possibly result in no PCR products since such primers are possibly not compatible with the primers described herein concerning e.g., their length, melting temperature or during the following sequencing. According to one embodiment of the invention, the primers sequences of the primer sets specific for the identification of seafood species of the families Crustacean, Cephalopods, Gastropoda, Veneridae, Ostreidae, Pectinidae, and Mytilidae are given in Table 1. The forward primer SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 14 and reverse primer SEQ ID NOs: 15 to 25 are given in 5’-3’ direction. The reverse complement of the primer sequences can also be used in the method provided herein.

Specifically, primer set (ps) 1 is used for the identification of species of the family of Crustacean. In ps 1 , one or more, specifically one or two primer pairs are formed by selecting a forward primer from forward primer sequences SEQ ID NOs: 1 and 2 and combining the selected forward primer with the reverse primer given in reverse primer sequence SEQ ID NO: 15. The primer set for the identification of Crustacean comprises SEQ ID NOs: 1 , 2, and 15.

Specifically, ps 2 is used for the identification of species of the family of Cephalopods. In ps 2, one or more, specifically one, two, or three primer pairs are formed by selecting a forward primer from SEQ ID NOs: 3 to 5 and combining the selected forward primer with the reverse primer given in reverse primer sequence SEQ ID NO: 16. The primer set for the identification of Cephalopods comprises SEQ ID NOs: 3, 4, 5, and 16.

Specifically, ps 3 is used for the identification of species of the family of Gastropoda. In ps 3, one or more, specifically one or two primer pairs are formed by forward primer from SEQ ID NO: 6 and combining the forward primer with one reverse primer selected from reverse primer sequences SEQ ID NOs: 17 to 18. The primer set for the identification of Gastropoda comprises SEQ ID NOs: 6, 17, and 18.

Specifically, ps 4 is used for the identification of species of the family of Veneridae. In ps 4, one or more, specifically one, two, three, four, or five primer pairs are formed by selecting a forward primer from SEQ ID NOs: 7 to 11 and combining the selected forward primer with one reverse primer selected from reverse primer sequences SEQ ID NOs: 19 to 21. The primer set for the identification of Veneridae comprises SEQ ID NOs: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 , 19, 20, and 21.

Specifically, ps 5 is used for the identification of species of the family of Ostreidae. In ps 5, one primer pair is formed by the forward primer SEQ ID NO: 12 and reverse primer sequence SEQ ID NO: 22. The primer set for the identification of Ostreidae comprises SEQ ID NOs: 12 and 22. Specifically, ps 6 is used for the identification of species of the family of Pectinidae. In ps 6, one primer pair is formed by the forward primer SEQ ID NO: 13 and reverse primer sequence SEQ ID NO: 23. The primer set for the identification of Pectinidae comprises SEQ ID NOs: 13 and 23.

Specifically, ps 7 is used for the identification of species of the family of Mytilidae. In ps 7, one or more, specifically one or two primer pairs are formed by the forward primer SEQ ID NO: 14 and combining the forward primer with one reverse primer sequence selected from reverse primer sequences SEQ ID NOs: 24 to 25. The primer set for the identification of Mytilidae comprises SEQ ID NOs: 14, 24, and 25.

Specifically, the amplification of DNA fragments according to the invention is performed with at least 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 primer sets.

In one embodiment, the concentrations of the primers may be adapted to the specific combination of forward and reverse primers in a primer set for a single species. For example, if the PCR amplification of Mytilidae is performed with two primer pairs, namely primer pair 1 being SEQ ID NO: 14 and SEQ ID NO: 24, and primer pair 2 being SEQ ID NO: 14 and SEQ ID NO: 25, then the concentration in the PCR assay of SEQ ID NO: 14 may be twice as high as the concentration of each SEQ ID NO: 24 and SEQ ID NO: 25.

According to the invention, the amplified sequences are sequenced in order to determine the nucleotide sequence of the amplified 16S rDNA fragment. Specifically, Sanger sequencing or next generation sequencing (NGS) is applied as sequencing technology.

According to the invention, the sequenced DNA fragments are identified based on a comparison with reference sequences of the respective species. Specifically, the variable part in between the primer binding sites is used for differentiation between the species of interest. Methods for sequence comparison are commonly known in the art. Specifically, BLASTn provided by NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) can be used for sequence comparison of a sequenced DNA fragment with a reference sequence database in order to identify the seafood species in the sample. More specifically, the sequences DNA fragments obtained by the method of the invention are compared to reference sequences comprising the 16S rDNA sequence of the targeted seafood species.

According to a specific embodiment, the reference sequences of the invention are selected from any one of SEQ ID NOs: 28 to 1153. More specifically, the sequenced DNA fragments are identified based on a comparison with a database or a library comprising reference sequences of the species identified according to the invention. In this case, the library of reference sequences comprises one or more of SEQ ID NOs: 28 to 1153, or all of SEQ ID NOs: 28 to 1153, or any combinations thereof.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a library of primer sequences is provided herein comprising SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 25 and/or the reverse complement sequences thereof. The sequences of said primer sequences (SEQ ID NOs: 1 to 25) are given in the Table 1. The primer library of the invention may comprise all primers listed in Table 1 . Alternatively, the primer library comprises primers of primer set 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and/or 7.

As used herein, the term “Fwd” refers to a forward and the term “Rev” refers to a reverse primer. Alternatively, also the term “For” may be used as abbreviation for a forward primer.

The nomenclature of the nucleotide sequences of the invention follows the general guidelines of the IIIPAC nucleotide code. Specifically, nucleotide code A refers to adenine, C refers to cytosine, G refers to guanine, T refers to thymine, and W refers to A or T.

According to a specific embodiment, if a primer sequence comprises a “W” at a specific position in the nucleotide sequence, said primer is used as a mixture of two sequences, wherein one primer has an adenine at the specific position and the other primer has thymine at the specific position.

Table 1

According to one embodiment of the invention, a kit for identifying seafood species in a sample is provided, wherein the kit comprises the primer library of the invention. Specifically, the kit comprises primer sequences of one or more of the primer sets selected from primer set 1 , primer set 2, primer set 3, primer set 4, primer set 5, primer set 6, and primer set 7. More specifically, the kit comprises at least 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 of the primer sets according to the invention. The kit may also comprise the reverse complement sequences of the primer sequences. Said kit may further comprise PCR components, buffers, reagents and/or an instruction manual. Specifically, the kit may comprise as PCR components a polymerase, a master mix, and/or magnesium chloride.

EXAMPLES

The examples described herein are illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to be limitations thereon. Many modifications and variations may be made to the techniques described and illustrated herein without departing from scope of the invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that the examples are illustrative only and are not limiting upon the scope of the invention. Example 1 - Pectinidae, Ostreidae, and Mytilidae

In Example 1 , the identification of seafood species of the family of Pectinidae, Ostreidae, and Mytilidae (together known as “bivalves”) in raw and processed food products is described. The method was developed on the Illumina MiSeq® and iSeq® platforms.

Materials and Methods

Sample collection and storage

86 commercial food products were collected from regional supermarkets, fish markets, and delicacy shops (Table 2). Table 2 shows the declaration, origin and processing condition of the 86 commercial food products. Samples were either fresh, deep-frozen, or in processed condition. Each sample was given a specific ID number, with the letter “O” referring to oysters, “S” to scallops, “M” to mussels, and “Mi” to mixed- species seafood. Samples were stored at -20°C until DNA extraction.

Table 2

* In case the country of production was unknown, the fishing region was specified

Eleven out of the 86 samples (“reference samples”), comprising three mussel, six scallop, and two oyster species, were used for method development. Table 3 shows the bivalve species used for development of the DNA metabarcoding method. Identity of bivalve species in these reference samples (samples M12, M13 and M27 for mussels; samples S42, S46, S47, S49, S50, and S55 for scallops; samples 02 and 03 for oysters; Table 2) was verified by subjecting DNA extracts to Sanger sequencing (Microsynth, Balgach, Switzerland) and matching the sequences against the public databases provided by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).

Table 3

DNA extraction and quantification

Raw material was cut into smaller pieces or homogenized. To 2.0 gram of each sample, 10 mL of a hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) buffer was added. After addition of 80 pL proteinase K, the mixture was incubated on an Intelli-Mixer™ RM2 (LTF Labortechnik) overnight at 50°C.

For DNA isolation, a commercial kit (Maxwell® 16 FFS Nucleic Acid Extraction System Custom-Kit, Promega, Madison, USA) was used according to the manufacturer's instruction. DNA concentration was determined fluorometrically (Qubit® 2.0 fluorometer, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Oregon, USA). For higher concentrations, the Qubit® dsDNA broad range assay kit (2 to 1000 ng) and for lower concentrations, the Qubit® dsDNA high sensitivity assay kit (0.2 to 100 ng) was used. DNA purity was assessed from the ratio of the absorbance at 260 nm and 280 nm (QIAxpert spectrophotometer, software version 2.2.0.21 , Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). DNA extracts were stored at -20°C until further use.

DNA extract mixtures

Ternary DNA extract mixtures were prepared by mixing DNA extracts (DNA concentration 5 ng/mL) from Pecten spp., Magallana gigas and Mytilus galloprovincialis, representing the three bivalve species Pectinidae, Ostreidae, and Mytilidae, respectively. Individual DNA extracts were mixed in a ratio of 98.0:1.5:0.5 (v/v/v).

In addition, DNA extract mixtures consisting of DNA from species belonging to one bivalve species were prepared. In these mixtures, DNA from one species was present as the main component, DNA from the other species as minor components (1.0% each). Since only two oyster species were available, the DNA extract mixture representing the bivalve species Ostreidae contained the closely related scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) as major component (98.0%) and DNA from the two oyster species as minor components (1.0% each).

In addition to mixtures consisting of DNA from bivalve species only, a DNA extract mixture containing another mollusc species was prepared. DNA extract from a squid species (Sepiella inermis) was chosen as the main component (97.0%) and DNA from the bivalve species Placopecten magellanicus, Ostrea edulis and Perna canaliculus were present as minor components (1.0% each).

Reference sequences

A 150 bp fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene was used as DNA barcode. Reference sequences for commonly consumed bivalve species and some exotic seafood species, that are permitted for consumption in Austria (“Codex Alimentarius Austriacus” chapter B35, (see Bundesministerium fur Arbeit, Soziales, Gesundheit und Konsumentenschutz, Codexkapitel / B 35 / Fische, Krebse, Weichtiere und daraus hergestellte Erzeugnisse: BMGF-75210/0026-II/B/13/2017, 2007), were downloaded from the NCBI databases by using CLC Genomics Workbench 10.1.1 (Qiagen). If available, complete reference sequences from the RefSeq database were preferentially downloaded due to their reliability. In case complete reference sequences were not available, all DNA sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rDNA available for one and the same species, submitted by individual scientists, were aligned and checked for similarity and unidentified nucleotides. Subsequently, the DNA sequence with the highest quality (e.g. without unknown nucleotides, full-length of the DNA barcode) was chosen as a reference sequence.

The reference sequences according to the invention are given in Table 4. This list of sequences comprises all reference sequences used for the identification of all seafood species of the invention and thus, does not only comprise the sequences for example 1 but for the seafood species identified according to the invention. Table 4

Primer systems

Primers were designed manually on a multiple DNA sequence alignment of the mitochondrial 16S rDNA of approximately 90 bivalve species using the CLC Genomics Workbench 10.1 .1 . The designed primers were checked for their physical and structural properties (e.g. formation of dimers, secondary structure, annealing temperature) using Oligo Calc, the OligoAnalyzer Tool provided by Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) and the online product descriptions from TIB Molbiol (Berlin, Germany). The primers, listed in Table 5, were synthesized by TIB Molbiol. Table 5 also shows the Illumina overhang adapter sequences which were linked to the target-specific primers. Table 5

All in-house designed primers were tested in real-time PCR with DNA extracted from the eleven reference samples, comprising three mussel, six scallop, and two oyster species. During optimization, the following PCR conditions/ parameters were kept constant and applied as published previously: DNA input amount of 12.5 ng, ‘ready-to- use’ HotStarTaq Master Mix Kit, annealing temperature (62°C), 25 cycles (Dobrovolny, S. et al., 2019). Only one variable, the addition of magnesium chloride solution, was modified (addition of 1 .5 mM or 3 mM MgCh). Real-time PCR reactions were carried out using a fluorescent intercalating dye (EvaGreen® (20x in water)) in strip tubes or in 96- well plates, depending on the thermocycler used, the Rotor-Gene Q (Qiagen) or the LightCycler® 480 System (Roche, Penzberg, Germany), respectively. The total volume of the PCR reactions was 25 pL, consisting of 22.5 pL reaction mix and 2.5 pL of template DNA (diluted DNA samples (5 ng/pL)) or water as negative control. In the reaction mix, the HotStarTaq Master Mix Kit (Qiagen) was used at a final concentration of 1x and the final concentration of primers was 0.2 pM, expect the forward primer for mussels (0.4 pM). PCR cycling conditions were 15 min initial denaturation at 95°C, 25 cycles at 95°C, 62°C and 72°C for 30 s each, and a final elongation for 10 min at 72°C. The primer pairs for mussels, scallop and oysters with and without Illumina overhang adapter sequences were first used in singleplex PCR assays. Then, the seven primers (three forward and four reverse primers) listed in Table 5 were combined in a triplex assay. The identity of the PCR products was confirmed by melting curve analysis and/or agarose gel electrophoresis.

Library preparation and NGS

In general, samples were sequenced by using either the MiSeq® or the iSeq® platform (Illumina, San Diego, California, USA). DNA extracts were diluted to a DNA concentration of 5 ng/pL. Extracts with a DNA concentration < 5 ng/pL were used undiluted.

DNA library preparation was performed according to Dobrovolny, S. et al. (2019) with minor modifications (excess of magnesium chloride, final concentration 3 mM; average library size: 278 bp; diluted libraries of the iSeq® system were denatured automatically on the instrument).

For the MiSeq® and iSeq® platform, the DNA library was adjusted to 4 nM and 1 nM, respectively, with 10 mM Tris-HCL, pH 8.6. After pooling individual DNA libraries (5 pL MiSeq®, 7 pL iSeq®), the DNA concentration was determined using Qubit® 2.0 fluorimeter.

All sequencing runs were performed using either the MiSeq® Reagent Kit v2 (300- cycles) or the iSeq® 100 i1 Reagent v2 (300-cycles) with a final loading concentration of 8 pM. The pooled DNA libraries contained a 5% PhiX spike-in.

Reference samples were sequenced in six replicates (three sequencing runs, two replicates per run), while DNA extract mixtures were sequenced in nine replicates (three sequencing runs, three replicates per run). Commercial food products (O5-Mi86, above the double line in Table 9) were sequenced in one replicate (three sequencing runs, one replicate per run) and food products (O1-S61 , below the double line in Table 9) were sequenced at least once by using either the MiSeq® or the iSeq® platform.

NGS data analysis using Galaxy

After paired-end sequencing, the resulting FastQ files, generated by the instrument control software, were used as input for data analysis. The sequencing output in FastQ format was then processed with an analysis pipeline as described previously by using Galaxy (Version 19.01) (Dobrovolny, S. et al., 2019). The published amplicon analysis workflow was modified as follows: the target-specific primers were trimmed from both ends using the tool Cutadapt and reads were not clustered into Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) (Martin, M., 2011). Completely identical sequences were collapsed into a single representative sequence with the tool Dereplicate to minimize the number of reads, and then compared against a customized database for bivalves using BLASTn (Edgar, R.C., 2010).

Results

Barcode region and primer systems

The aim was to develop a DNA metabarcoding method allowing the differentiation between species belonging to the bivalves Pectinidae, Ostreidae, and Mytilidae. To be applicable in routine analysis, the method should allow identifying the economically most important bivalve species in raw and highly processed food products.

Three primer sets were designed, one for each of the three bivalves, Pectinidae, Ostreidae, and Mytilidae. Primer pairs consisting of one forward and one reverse primer allowed amplifying the DNA barcode region in scallop and oyster species (Table 5). However, in case of mussels, a primer set consisting of one forward primer and two reverse primers (Table 5) was necessary to obtain a PCR product for the mussel species listed in Table 3. With the three primer sets, PCR products differing in at least one base should be obtained for all bivalve species of interest.

Further sequence alignments indicated that the DNA barcode region selected does not allow distinguishing between all species of the following genera: Chlamys spp., Euvola spp., Pecten spp., Crassostrea spp., Magallana spp., Ostrea spp. and Saccostrea spp. These species cannot be distinguished: Chlamys rubida and Chlamys behringiana; Pecten albicans, Pecten fumatus, Pecten jacobaeus, Pecten keppelianus, Pecten novaezelandiae, Pecten sucicostatus, Crassostrea hongkongensis and Crassostrea rivularis', Ostrea angelica and Ostrea lurida; as well as Ostrea permollis and Ostrea puelchana; and Saccostrea echinata, Saccostrea glomerata and Saccostrea mytiloides. In addition, two mussel species, Mytilus platensis and Mytilus chilensis, can also not be distinguished (for Mytilus platensis only one DNA sequence entry was in the public databases provided by NCBI). However, differentiation at the genus level (Chlamys spp., Pecten spp., Crassostrea spp. Ostrea spp., Mytilus spp.) is sufficient according to the “Codex Alimentarius Austriacus” chapter B35 (see BMGF-75210/0026- ll/B/13/2017, 2007).

When the primers were tested in singleplex PCR assays, for each of the reference samples a PCR product of about 150 bp in length was obtained by increasing the concentration of the forward primer for mussels to 0.4 pM and keeping the concentration of the other six primers at 0.2 pM. In addition, it was tested whether the seven primers could be combined to a triplex system. PCR products for the bivalve species of interest were obtained in one and the same vial by increasing the magnesium chloride concentration to a final concentration of 3 mM. Thus, it was achieved to perform the triplex PCR assay.

Library preparation, pooling of libraries and sequencing

Library preparation, pooling of 5 pL or 7 pL per normalized DNA library and the sequencing process were performed as described previously (Dobrovolny, S. et al., 2019). Sequencing runs were performed in triplicates and the average run metrics were as follows: cluster density (969 K/mm ² ) on the flow cell, cluster passing filter (70.22%) as well as the Q-scores (Q30) for readl and read2 were 92.6% and 89.28%, respectively. 5.02% of the total reads were identified as PhiX control sequences with an error rate of 1.49%.

Analysis of DNA extracts from reference samples

PCR products were obtained for each of the reference samples, comprising three mussel samples (M12, M13 and M27, Table 2), six scallop samples (S42, S46, S47, S49, S50, and S55, Table 2) and two oyster samples (02 and 03, Table 2). Sequencing results for reference samples are summarized in Table 6.

Table 6 shows results for DNA extracts from reference samples. The numbers are mean values (n=6, three sequencing runs, 2 replicates per run). The table shows the mean values of the total number of raw reads, the total number of reads that passed the analysis pipeline in Galaxy as well as the total number and percentage of reads that were assigned correctly to the eleven species (based on 6 replicates).

No significant differences were observed in the total number of reads (before data analysis process) between these species, except Mytilus galloprovincialis (162843), Perna canaliculus (169631/ and Mytilus edulis (134500). With the exception of Perna canaliculus, > 70% of the reads passed the amplicon analysis workflow. All three mussel species, six scallop species and two oyster species could be identified with this workflow at high rate (>97.5%), except Mytilus edulis.

Table 6

Analysis of DNA extract mixtures

Six ternary DNA extract mixtures were analysed containing the DNA of the three bivalve species Pectinidae, Ostreidae, and Mytilidae in ratios of 98.0:1.5:0.5 (v/v/v). The composition of the DNA extract mixtures and the results obtained by DNA metabarcoding are summarized in Table 7. Table 7 shows the results for ternary DNA extract mixtures representing the three bivalve species of interest. DNA extracts (5 ng/pL) were mixed in a ratio of 98.0:1.5:0.5 (v/v/v). Numbers are mean values (n=9, three sequencing runs, 3 replicates per run). The total number of raw reads ranged from 80856 to 147443 and the reads that passed the workflow were in the range from 65961 to 147196. For the main components (98.0%), the number of reads assigned correctly ranged from 62434 to 140147. In addition, both minor components (1.5% and 0.5%) could be identified. The number of reads assigned correctly was in the range from 1710 to 4356 and 555 to 1478, respectively. F001P

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Table 7

In addition, three DNA extract mixtures containing DNA from species belonging to one bivalve species were analysed (Table 8). Table 8 shows the results for DNA extract mixtures representing one bivalve species. DNA from minor components was present in a proportion of 1 % each. In addition, results for a DNA extract mixture containing DNA from a squid species (Sepiella inermis) as main component (97.0%) and DNA from three bivalve species (1 % each) is shown. Numbers are mean values (n=9, three sequencing runs, 3 replicates per run). The mixtures contained DNA from a scallop or mussel species, respectively. DNA from other bivalve species was present in a proportion of 1.0% each. Both species being present as main components, Placopecten magellanicus and Perna canaliculus, could be identified, with the number of reads assigned correctly ranging from 58156 to 77483. However, quite different numbers of reads were correctly assigned to the minor components, ranging from 626 (Mizuhopecten yessoensis) to 50391 (Mytilus galloprovincialis).

A further DNA extract mixture was analysed containing DNA from the squid species Sepiella inermis as main component (97.0%) and DNA from the bivalve species Placopecten magellanicus, Ostrea edulis and Perna canaliculus as minor components (1.0% each). As expected, in this mixture, the main component could not be detected because the primers are not suitable for amplification of the target region for Sepiella inermis. 31424, 28162, and 806 reads, respectively, were assigned correctly to the three bivalve species.

Table 8

*Number of values (n=6, three sequencing runs, 2 replicates per run)

Analysis of commercial seafood samples

In order to investigate the applicability of the DNA metabarcoding method to foodstuffs, DNA extracts from 75 commercial food products were analysed. According to declaration, eight samples (01 and 04-010) contained oyster species, 27 samples (M11 , M14-M26, and M28-M40) mussel species, 15 samples (S41 , S43-45, S48, S51- S55, and S56-S61) scallop species and 25 samples (Mi62-Mi86) were mixed-species seafood products (Table 9). Table 9 shows the results obtained for commercial seafood samples. Samples listed above the double line were sequenced with the MiSeq® (three sequencing runs, 1 replicate per run, numbers are mean values); samples listed below the double line were sequenced either with the MiSeq® or the iSeq®. The ingredient list of 30 out of 75 food products did not give any information on the bivalve species. 39 samples were declared to contain “Crassostrea gigas”, “Mytilus galloprovincialis”, “Mytilus chilensis”, “Mytilus edulis”, “Zygochlamys patagonica”, “Chlamys opercularis”, “Placopecten magellanicus”, “Pecten maximus”, or “Patinopecten yessoensis”. The remaining samples (n=6) were labelled with “Mytilus spp.” and “Pecten spp.”. Three oyster species (Saccostrea malabonensis, Magallana bilineata, Magallana gigas), three mussel species (Mytilus galloprovincialis, Mytilus edulis, Perna canaliculus), and three scallop species (Aequipecten opercularis, Placopecten magellanicus, Pecten spp.) were detected in food products (04, 08, M17, M19, M23, M25, M26, M28, M31 , M32, M35, M38-M40, S51 , S56, S58-S60, Mi63, Mi65, Mi70, Mi71 , Mi73-Mi76, Mi81 , Mi83, Mi85, and Mi86) although they were not declared on the label. In four (01 and 05-07) out of eight oyster products declared to contain “Crassostrea gigas”, this species was identified.

In 21 products (M11 , M16, M18, M21 , M24, M33-M35, M37, M39, M40, Mi62, Mi64, Mi66, Mi69, Mi72, Mi77-Mi80, and Mi84), the mussel species Mytilus galloprovincialis was detected, indicating that it is one of the most commonly used bivalve species. In addition to Mytilus galloprovincialis, Mytilus edulis was identified (percentage of reads assigned correctly >1%) in 13 products (M24, M33, M34, M39, Mi62, Mi64, Mi66, Mi69, Mi72, Mi78-Mi80, and Mi84). However, in none of the products declared to contain Mytilus chilensis, Mytilus chilensis was detected. In four products, Mytilus edulis could not be detected although it was declared on the label.

Placopecten magellanicus and Patinopecten yessoensis were listed as ingredients in samples S41 , S45, S54, and S57 and samples S48, S52, and S61 , respectively. The results confirmed the presence of these two species, except for sample S57. In sample S43, declared to contain Pecten maximus, the species Mizuhopecten yessoensis was detected. In sample S44 and S53, declared as Pecten spp., the species Mizuhopecten yessoensis was also analysed.

Thus, the method of the invention allows to specifically control food declaration.

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Table 9

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¹ value of two replicates; ² samples were analysed with the MiSeq instrument; ³ samples were analysed with the iSeq instrument

Example 2 - Crustacean

In example 2, the identification of Crustacean in food samples according to the invention is shown. The identification was done similar to example 1 using the primer set specific for the identification of seafood species of the respective family in a singleplex setup (two forward primer SEQ ID NO: 1 and SEQ ID NO: 2; and one reverse primer SEQ ID NO: 15). The final concentration of two forward Crustacean primers (SEQ ID NO: 1 and SEQ ID NO: 2) was 0.2 pM each and 0.4 pM for reverse Crustacean primer (SEQ ID NO: 15). Then, the primers of Crustacean und Cephalopods (two Crustacean forward primers (SEQ ID NO: 1 and SEQ ID NO: 2), one Crustacean reverse primer (SEQ ID NO: 15), one Cephalopod forward primer (SEQ ID NO: 3 respectively SEQ ID NO: 4 and SEQ ID NO: 5) and one Cephalopod reverse primer (SEQ ID NO: 16)) were combined in a duplex assay. Furthermore, duplex setups are shown for the combined identification of species of the family of Crustacean and Gastropoda (two forward Crustacean primer SEQ ID NO: 1 and SEQ ID NO: 2, one reverse Crustacean primer SEQ ID NO: 15, one Gastropoda primer SEQ ID NO: 6 and two reverse Gastropoda primer SEQ ID NO: 17 and SEQ ID NO: 18) and also for the combined identification of species of the family of Crustacean and Cephalopods (two Crustacean forward primers (SEQ ID NO: 1 and SEQ ID NO: 2), one Crustacean reverse primer (SEQ ID NO: 15), one Cephalopod forward primer (SEQ ID NO: 3 respectively SEQ ID NO: 4 and SEQ ID NO: 5) and one Cephalopod reverse primer (SEQ ID NO: 16)). Sanger Sequencing was performed as a control experiment for the identification of seafood species.

Results

The results are shown in the following Tables 10 and 11.

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Example 3 - Cephalopods

In example 3, the identification of Cephalopods in food samples according to the invention is shown. The identification was done similar to example 1 using the primer set specific for the identification of Cephalopods seafood species of the respective family in a singleplex setup (one forward primer SEQ ID NO: 3 respectively SEQ ID NO: 4 and SEQ ID NO: 5; and one reverse primer SEQ ID NO: 16). The final concentration of forward (SEQ ID NO: 3 respectively SEQ ID NO: 4 and SEQ ID NO: 5) and reverse primer (SEQ ID NO: 16) was 0.2 pM. Furthermore, a duplex setup is shown for the combined identification of species of the family of Crustacean and Cephalopods. The primers of Crustacean und Cephalopods (two Crustacean forward primers (SEQ ID NO: 1 and SEQ ID NO: 2), one Crustacea reverse primer (SEQ ID NO: 15), one Cephalopod forward primer (SEQ ID NO: 3 respectively SEQ ID NO: 4 and SEQ ID NO: 5) and one Cephalopod reverse primer (SEQ ID NO: 16)) were combined in a duplex assay. Sanger Sequencing was performed as a control experiment for the identification of seafood species.

Results

The results are shown in the following Table 12.

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Example 4 - Gastropoda

In example 4, the identification of Gastropoda in food samples according to the invention is shown. The identification was done similar to example 1 using the primer set specific for the identification of seafood species of the respective family in a singleplex setup (one forward primer SEQ ID NO: 6 and two reverse primer SEQ ID NO: 17 and SEQ ID NO: 18). The final concentration of forward Gastropoda primer (SEQ ID NO: 6) was 0.4 pM and 0.2 pM each for the two reverse Gastropoda primer (SEQ ID NO: 17 and SEQ ID NO: 18). Furthermore, a duplex setup is shown for the combined identification of species of the family of Crustacean and Gastropoda. Sanger

Sequencing was performed as a control experiment for the identification of seafood species.

Results

The results are shown in the following Table 13.

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Example 5 - Veneridae

In example 5, the identification of Veneridae in food samples according to the invention is shown. The identification was done similar to example 1 using the primer set specific for the identification of seafood species of the respective family in a singleplex setup (five forward primer SEQ ID NO: 7, SEQ ID NO: 8, SEQ ID NO: 9, SEQ ID NO: 10, and SEQ ID NO: 11 and three reverse primer SEQ ID NO: 19, SEQ ID NO: 20, and SEQ ID NO: 21). The final concentration of forward primer (SEQ ID NO: 7, SEQ ID NO: 8, SEQ ID NO: 9, SEQ ID NO: 10, and SEQ ID NO: 11 ) was 0.2 pM each, 0.2 pM each for two reverse primer (SEQ ID NO: 20 and SEQ ID NO: 21) and 0.6 pM for the reverse primer (SEQ ID NO: 19). Sanger Sequencing was performed as a control experiment for the identification of seafood species.

Results

The results are shown in the following Table 14.

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