Authentication of ready-to-eat anchovy products sold on the Italian market by BLAST analysis of a highly informative cytochrome b gene fragment

In this study, 111 ready-to-eat anchovy products were collected on the Italian market. The products were mo-lecularly identified through a BLAST analysis of a highly informativecytbfragment amplified by a newly de-signed primer pair for the genusEngraulis spp. and the mislabelling rate was assessed. In addition, the labels wereanalysed in the light of the current EU law. Despite only one mislabelling case was observed (mislabelling rate0.9%), which involved the substitution of the European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) with the low-valuablePeruvian/Chilean anchoveta (Engraulis ringens), the molecular technique developed in this study was proved assuitable tool for detecting species in processed anchovy products. It could be therefore applied to carry out moreextensive EU survey aimed at evaluating the mislabelling rate of such products, still poorly covered by a targetedand clear legislation system