EN
Due to trade globalization of both fresh and processed sea food the necessity has arisen to determine its affinity to certain species. This is related to legislation (i.e. duty), the necessity to monitor the origin and transportation of food products (traceability), and health aspects (alimentary allergies). Moreover, it is vital to control and prevent food adulteration, i.e. the substitution of more expensive species with cheaper, sometimes less valuable ones. The visual assessment used so far is reliable only in the case of whole, unprocessed fish. The aim of this study has been to demonstrate the usefulness of polymerase chain reaction linked with restriction analysis (PCR-RFLP) in confirming the presence of Alaskan pollock (Theragra halcogramma). Contrary to the declaration given by the producer/manufacturer, among the 68 examined products 8 products were not produced from Alaskan pollock. The technique described in this work is faster and more reliable than the techniques used to date. The method proposed might be very useful for the routine control of fish identification.