title: Marzipan: polymerase chain reaction-driven methods for authenticity control.
abstract: According to German food guidelines, almonds are the only oilseed ingredient allowed for the production of marzipan. Persipan is a marzipan surrogate in which the almonds are replaced by apricot or peach kernels. Cross-contamination of marzipan products with persipan may occur if both products are produced using the same production line. Adulterations or dilutions, respectively, of marzipan with other plant-derived products, for example, lupine or pea, have also been found. Almond and apricot plants are closely related. Consequently, classical analytical methods for the identification/differentiation often fail or are not sensitive enough to quantify apricot concentrations below 1%. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods have been shown to enable the differentiation of closely related plant species in the past. These methods are characterized by high specificity and low detection limits. Isolation methods were developed and evaluated especially with respect to the matrix marzipan in terms of yield, purity, integrity, and amplificability of the isolated DNA. For the reliable detection of apricot, peach, pea, bean, lupine, soy, cashew, pistachio, and chickpea, qualitative standard and duplex PCR methods were developed and established. The applicability of these methods was tested by cross-reaction studies and analysis of spiked raw pastes. Contaminations at the level of 0.1% could be detected.
authors: Hamburg School of Food Science, Institute of Food Chemistry, University of Hamburg, Grindelallee 117, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
authors: Philipp
authors: P
authors: Brüning
authors: Ilka
authors: I
authors: Haase
authors: Reinhard
authors: R
authors: Matissek
authors: Markus
authors: M
authors: Fischer
mesh_terms: D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D027861:Prunus / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D018744:DNA, Plant