Detection of parvalbumin, a common fish allergen gene in food, by real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Fish, as one of the most common causes of IgE-mediated food hypersensitivity, has recently received increasing attention from the food industry and legislative and regulatory agencies. A real-time polymerase chain reaction assay based on TaqMan-MGB probe technology was developed for the detection of parvalbumin, a major fish allergen gene. The assay had a sensitivity up to 5 pg purified fish DNA and had no cross-reaction with other species, such as cattle, sheep, swine, chicken, shrimp, lobster, crab, squid, clam, rice, soybean, maize, and potato. The coefficient of variation for both intra- and interexperimental variability demonstrated high reproducibility and accuracy. The assay proved to be a potential tool for the detection and label management of fish allergens in food.