The Spain-based institute, which specialises in marine and food research, says that it has developed and patented the world’s first real-time PCR-based method for early sex identification in sturgeon – enabling aquaculture producers to determine the sex of sturgeon at between 12 and 24 months old.
While only female sturgeon produce caviar, producers must traditionally raise both sexes for several years before being able to identify and select the females, incurring significant costs in terms of feed, space and husbandry. Until now, sex identification has typically relied on ultrasound—a more invasive technique only viable at later stages of development.
AZTI’s novel method only requires a small sample of tissue or blood to detect a sex-specific genetic marker through real-time PCR analysis. The technology was developed in collaboration with Caviar Riofrío, a renowned Spanish producer which provided the sturgeon samples used for validation.
This innovation will allow aquaculture companies to focus resources on rearing females from an early stage, substantially reducing production costs. It also facilitates more tailored feeding and management strategies, improving efficiency and increasing the yield and profitability of caviar production.
“There was a clear need in the industry for an efficient and accurate method to determine sturgeon sex at early stages. This tool enables more sustainable, cost-effective caviar production,” said Miguel Ángel Pardo, AZTI researcher and specialist in food traceability and genetics.
The method has been successfully validated on 296 reference samples from various sturgeon species and is now protected under a patent application.
