Sustainability in research

Research group Prof. Dr. Markus Fischer

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Rapid test systems for identifying fish species

Considering the complex global supply chains for fish products, seamless traceability, as required by EU regulations, is of great importance for the protection of fish stocks and the preservation of marine biodiversity. Substituting fish species with cheaper alternatives can cause ecological and economic damage, thereby undermining sustainable fisheries policy. Traditional methods based on morphological features reach their limits when it comes to processed products. Molecular biological approaches, especially Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP), enable rapid and reliable identification of fish species. In the case of LAMP, on-site detection is possible—without extensive technical effort or laboratory infrastructure. With the rapid tests specifically developed in the research project, economically significant fish species can be efficiently distinguished from other species (see Graphical Abstract). The future use of this robust and analytical technology could enable early detection and prevention of fraud along the supply chain, making an important contribution to promoting transparency and sustainability in the fishing industry.

This IGF project (project no. 01IF21952N) of the FEI was supported within the programme for promoting the Industrial Collective Research (IGF) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) on the basis of a decision by the German Bundestag.

Graphical Abstract. Figure adapted from Wax et al. (2025). Created with BioRender.com.

Publications:

Wax, N., Pförtner, L., S., Holz, N., Sterzl, S., Melnik, M., Kappel K., Bade, P., Schröder, U., Haase, I., Fritsche, J., Fischer, M (2023). Fast and User-Friendly Detection of Flatfish Species (Pleuronectes platessa and Solea solea) via Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 71 (40), 14795-14805. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.3c03917

Holz, N., Wax, N., Oest, M., & Fischer, M. (2024). REASSURED Test System for Food Control—Preparation of LAMP Reaction Mixtures for In-Field Identification of Plant and Animal Species. Applied Sciences, 14(23), 10946. https://doi.org/10.3390/app142310946

Wax, N., Fischer, M., Bade, P., Schröder, U., Haase, I. (2025). Mit DNA-basierten Schnelltests zur anwenderfreundlichen Überprüfung der Fischart, Deutsche Lebensmittel-Rundschau 09 2025, Behr’s Verlag.