A Real-Time PCR Method for the Authentication of Common Cuttlefish () in Food Products.

Cephalopods are very relevant food resources. The common cuttlefish () is highly appreciated by consumers and there is a lack of rapid methods for its authentication in food products. We introduce a new minor groove binding (MGB) TaqMan real-time PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) method for the authentication of in food products to amplify a 122 base pairs (bp) fragment of the mitochondrial COI (Cytochrome Oxidase I) region. Reference and commercial samples of showed a threshold cycle (Ct) mean of 14.40, while the rest of the species examined did not amplify, or showed a significantly different Ct ( < 0.001). The calculated efficiency of the system was 101%, and the minimum DNA quantity detected was 10 ng. No cross-reactivity was detected with any other species, thus, the designed method differentiates from other species of the genus and other cephalopod species and works for fresh, frozen, grilled, cooked and canned samples of spp. The method has proved to be reliable and rapid, and it may prove to be a useful tool for the control of fraud in cuttlefish products.