Market surveillance on non-halal additives incorporated in surimi based products using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–southernhybridization analysis

In Malaysia, halal certification status for some surimi-based product is still suspicious due to the incorporation of non-halal plasma protein additives as part of the food ingredient. This study was conducted to determine the presence of plasma protein additives that have been incorporated into surimi-based product using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-Southern Hybridization method which able to differentiate 7 type (beef, chicken, duck, goat, buffalo, lamb and pork) of species on a single chip. A random of 17 (n = 17*3) different brands of surimi-based product was purchased from Selangor local market in January 2013. Of 17 brands, 3 (n = 3*3) brands were positive for chicken DNA and 1 (n = 1*3) brand was positive for goat DNA, while remainder 13 brands (n = 13*3) has no DNA species detected. In presence study, it is evidence that PCR-Southern Hybridization analysis offered a reliable result due to its highly specific and sensitive properties in detecting plasma protein incorporation in surimi-based product.