PRECICE® Nucleotides Assay Kits
Fish muscle is naturally rich in adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the nucleotide that provides the energy for muscle contraction and swimming. Following capture and respiratory arrest, ATP in fish muscle is rapidly hydrolyzed to inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP). Because IMP is unstable and can be further degraded to inosine and hypoxanthine by autolytic and bacterial enzymes, its abundance is widely recognized as a biochemical indicator of fish freshness. Consequently, fishmeal prepared from fresh raw material is naturally enriched in dietary IMP.
Among available sources, anchovy fishmeal is especially valued in aquaculture for its high digestibility, protein content, balanced amino acid profile, and essential fatty acids. While anchovy fishmeal naturally contains nucleotides, IMP levels are highly variable (Table 1) and are not consistently reported in standard composition tables.
Table 1. Nucleotides Content in Fishmeal Samples (Anchovy)
| Compound | Fishmeal 1 | Fishmeal 2 | Fishmeal 3 | Fishmeal 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guanine (g/kg) | 1.23 | 1.49 | 1.51 | 1.26 |
| Hypoxanthine (g/kg) | 0.54 | 1.02 | 0.81 | 2.29 |
| Inosine (g/kg) | 1.93 | 1.79 | 1.90 | 0.76 |
| IMP (g/kg) | 3.20 | 1.48 | 2.14 | 0.23 |
| AMP (g/kg) | 0.42 | 0.34 | 0.34 | 0.26 |
| ADP (g/kg) | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.08 |
| ATP (g/kg) | 0.05 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
This variability explains why supplementation studies dominate the literature, even though fresh fishmeal itself can provide IMP derived from ATP breakdown in muscle tissue.
Accurate quantification of IMP in fishmeal is therefore essential for evaluating feed quality and nutritional value. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) remains the reference method, as it enables precise and quantitative measurement of IMP concentrations with high accuracy and precision.
To know more about NOVOCIB's analytical service:
Analytical ServicesAs a faster alternative, NOVOCIB has developed novel PRECICE® IMP Assay Kit, a cost-efficient enzymatic approach. In this assay, IMP is enzymatically converted to xanthosine monophosphate (XMP) with concomitant reduction of NAD to NADH. The NADH formed is then quantified spectrophotometrically at 340 nm, with absorbance developing only in the presence of the specific enzyme. This innovation enables rapid and reliable measurement of IMP directly in fishmeal, supporting both quality control and nutritional evaluation in aquaculture feed production.
| #REF | SIZE | PRICE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #K0700-004-10 | Spectrophotometer for 10 samples analyzed for IMP, inosine and hypoxanthine See Documentation |
€ 350.00 | Inquiry |
| #K0700-003-22 | Plate reader for simultaneous analysis of IMP, Ino & Hx in 22 samples See Documentation |
€ 480.00 | Inquiry |
Pricing updated on October 01st, 2025
Kit is provided in stable lyophilized form and shipped without dry ice
You can ask us for a quotation Here or write at contact@novocib.com
Download "PRECICE® Nucleotides Assay Kit" User Manual for cuvette spectrophotometer.
Download "PRECICE® Nucleotides Assay Kit" User Manual for plate reader.
Measure nucleotides to assess food quality
Since seafood and fish are highly perishable products, the quality of raw material is of primary concern for seafood processing industry. While sensory analysis allows rapid evaluation of the quality of whole wet fish, the assessment of the quality of frozen fish, or that of frozen blocks of fillets or crumbed seafood products remains more difficult
PRECICE® Nucleotides Assay Kit is a first enzymatic assay for spectrophotometric measurement of three major ATP degradation products. The enzymes provided with kit allow specific conversion of three major ATP catabolites - IMP, inosine (Ino) and hypoxanthine (Hx) to NADH2. The quantification of nucleotides is done by measuring sample absorbance at 340nm.