Almond (Prunus dulcis), typically used in marzipan, is becoming more valuable by increasing global demand.
As a consequence, substitution with cheaper alternatives is a
common practice. Marzipan can be adulterated with apricot
(Prunus armeniaca) or peach (Prunus persica), because of
similar characteristics. Both species are closely related to almond; however, small differences in non-specific lipid transfer protein (LTP), used as target sequence for a qPCR test, can
be noticed. In this study, a TaqMan qPCR method for specific
detection of apricot in marzipan was developed. After optimization, specificity and sensitivity tests were carried out on real
samples and the limit of detection was determined. The
TaqMan qPCR method showed high specificity for apricot
and was able to detect as low as 1% persipan in marzipan

• ATaqMan Real-Time PCR Assay for Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) as an Authenticity Test for Detection of Traces of Persipan in Marzipan