Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8887785 | Food Control | 2018 | 5 Pages |
Abstract
The consumption of silkworms as edible insects has recently increased because of their good nutrition content. Many insect-based products are processed into a powder because of their unappetizing appearance. In this aspect, powdered silkworm has the possibility to be mixed with other insects. Thus, the development of a detection method for silkworm is necessary to provide accurate label information to consumers. In this study, we developed a real-time PCR assay using a TaqMan probe for detection of silkworm. The newly designed silkworm-specific primer pair and probe target the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. They were tested for their specificity using 15 insect species, and were confirmed to amplify only silkworm species. The limit of detection of this method was 0.001â¯ng of silkworm DNA, and as little as 1% of silkworm in two or more insect mixtures was detected. This developed method was applied to 30 processed foods including edible insects and was validated with four different real-time instruments. Therefore, the silkworm-specific real-time PCR assay may provide a specific and sensitive method for detection of silkworm in raw and processed foods.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Food Science
Authors
Mi-Ju Kim, Seul-Ki Jung, Sung-Yeon Kim, Hae-Yeong Kim,