Monday, March 1, 2010

Agilent Targets DNA Identification, For Fish

Santa Clara-based testing and measurement firm Agilent has rolled out--among a slew of product announcements today--a system for identifying seafood and fish. According to Agilent, it has created a new system which can match fish species in food products, used for verifying seafood labeling and detecting species substitutions by suppliers. The new system is targeted at seafood processors, distributors, large retailers, public interest organizations and government agencies. DNA testing is just now being applied to verifying the true identity of fish being sold to consumers, in particular to identify if a different fish is being sold than labeled and to identify where threatened or endangered fish are being improperly sold. Agilent said its system works with fresh, frozen, dried, salted, or minced fish, or even fish fins.