Authentication of seafood products by DNA patterns

Due to the increase in international trade in seafood and seafood products, authentication has become a necessity. Authentication can either be done by generating species-specific protein profiles or DNA profiles. Use of PCR-based techniques has been studied since they are reliable, reproducible and low cost acid they enable construction of worldwide databanks. Techniques like FINS (forensically informative nucleotide sequencing), RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism), SSCP (single-stranded conformational polymorphism), RAPD and LP-RAPD (long-primer random amplified polymorphic DNA) and AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) all can contribute to establishment of methods for authentication.