DNA‐Based Methods for the Identification of Commercial Fish and Seafood Species

ABSTRACT: The detection of species substitution has become an important topic within the food industry and there is a growing need for rapid, reliable, and reproducible tests to verify species in commercial fish and seafood products. Increases in international trade and global seafood consumption, along with fluctuations in the supply and demand of different fish and seafood species, have resulted in intentional product mislabeling. The effects of species substitution are far‐reaching and include economic fraud, health hazards, and illegal trade of protected species. To improve detection of commercial seafood fraud, a variety of DNA‐based techniques have been developed, including Multiplex PCR, FINS, PCR‐RFLP, PCR‐RAPD, PCR‐AFLP, and PCR‐SSCP, which are all based on polymorphisms in the genetic codes of different species. These techniques have been applied in the differentiation of many types of fish and seafood species, such as gadoids, salmonids, scombroids, and bivalves. Some emerging technologies in this field include the use of real‐time PCR, lab‐on‐a‐chip, and DNA microarray chips. In this review article, the major DNA‐based methods currently employed in the authentication of commercial fish and seafood species are discussed and future trends are highlighted. Examples of commercial applications and the use of online database resources are also considered.     

Food allergy,a summary of eight cases in the UK criminal and civil courts: effective last resort for vulnerable consumers?

Food allergy has a forensic context. The authors describe eight cases in the UK courts involving fatalities, personal injury or criminal non‐compliance with food law from mainly ‘grey’ literature sources. The potentially severe consequences for people with food allergy of contraventions of labelling law have led to enforcement action up to criminal prosecution for what might otherwise be regarded as ‘trivial’ non‐compliance. The authors suggest there should be central collation of such cases. Non‐compliances should be followed up in a more rapid and robust manner. Evidence of fraud in the catering supply chain supports recent calls for zero tolerance of food fraud. Businesses must guard against gaps in allergen management, for which there are readily available sources of training and guidance, but also against fraudulent substitution in the supply chain, about which training and guidance should be developed. New allergen labelling legislation and case law appear to place responsibility on food businesses even for the forensically problematic area of allergen cross‐contamination. The courts can be an effective last resort for vulnerable consumers; however, there is evidence of knowledge and skill gaps in both the investigation and prosecution of potentially serious incidents of food allergen mismanagement and mislabelling. Thorough investigation of food allergy deaths is required with a tenacious and skilled approach, including early realisation that samples of the food and/or stomach contents from a post mortem examination should be retained and analysed. The supply chain must be rigorously examined to find out where adulteration or contamination with the fatal allergen occurred. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

Current Barriers to Large‐scale Interoperability of Traceability Technology in the Seafood Sector

Interoperability is a critical component of full‐chain digital traceability, but is almost nonexistent in the seafood industry. Using both quantitative and qualitative methodology, this study explores the barriers impeding progress toward large‐scale interoperability among digital traceability systems in the seafood sector from the perspectives of seafood companies, technology vendors, and supply chains as a whole. We highlight lessons from recent research and field work focused on implementing traceability across full supply chains and make some recommendations for next steps in terms of overcoming challenges and scaling current efforts.     

Tackling Fraudsters with Global Strategies to Expose Fraud in the Food Chain

Deliberate adulteration of food products is as old as food processing and production systems. Food adulteration is occurring increasingly often today. With globalization and complex distribution systems, adulteration may have a far‐reaching impact and even adverse consequences on well‐being. The means of the international community to confront and solve food fraud today are scattered and largely ineffective. A collective approach is needed to identify all stakeholders in the food supply chain, certify and qualify them, exclude those failing to meet applicable standards, and track food in a real time. This review provides some background into the drivers of fraudulent practices (economically motivated adulteration, food‐industry perspectives, and consumers’ perceptions of fraud) and discusses a wide range of the currently available technologies for detecting food adulteration followed by multivariate pattern recognition tools. Food chain integrity policies are discussed. Future directions in research, concerned not only with food adulterers but also with food safety and climate change, may be useful for researchers in developing interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary problems.     

基于HACCP的海产品供应链冷链物流 质量安全控制

目的针对海产品供应链冷链物流质量安全控制难点,应用HACCP体系,以鱼贝类海产品为例,制定HACCP危害分析表和实施计划表。方法从养殖及捕捞、清洗整理、海产品冷却、冷冻储存及运输、加工、搬运和装卸等各个环节进行全过程控制。从生物性污染、化学性污染和物理性污染3个方面确定出鱼贝类供应链冷链物流中的关键控制点和关键限值,主要监控致病菌、重金属、化学药物残留等因素。结果从监控对象、方法、频率、人员方面建立具体监控措施、纠偏措施及验证方法,并制定鱼贝类海产品较详细的危害分析表和实施计划表。结论本研究为其他水产品的供应链冷链物流HACCP质量控制体系的建立提供案例,确保海产品冷链物流中的质量安全,为阳江市海产品企业在冷链物流中的质量安全体系控制提供参考。     

保健食品经营欺诈民事责任与救济途径探究

保健食品作为声称具有特定保健功能的一类食品,与人民群众的身体健康和生命安全息息相关。保健食品经营者的欺诈行为不仅损害了广大消费者的身心健康,也侵害了消费者的财产利益。本文探究了涉及保健食品经营欺诈行为的构成要件、实施经营欺诈行为的经营者可能承担的民事法律责任以及消费者对经营欺诈行为的民事救济途径。对保健食品经营欺诈行为的理解,有助于消费者在保健食品经营者实施欺诈行为时维护自身权益,探索依赖于监管部门进行行政处罚以外的民事救济手段,具有一定的现实意义。     

食品企业开展原料脆弱性评估的工具介绍及应用

近年来国内外媒体报道的食品欺诈事件复杂多样。全球食品供应链日益复杂, 商业竞争日趋激烈, 食品欺诈是食品质量安全管理需解决的主要问题之一, 为解决欺诈发生的根本原因, 控制食品欺诈需要从缓解向预防转变。对于食品企业, 原料均来自于合作的供应商, 因此, 提前识别原料食品欺诈发生的可能性, 制定有效管控措施, 对产品质量安全的保障尤为重要。本文简述了食品欺诈和脆弱性评估的定义及法律规范, 重点介绍了食品欺诈脆弱性评估工具和预警模型在食品行业中的应用情况, 提出食品企业防控原料欺诈的建议, 指出食品企业建立科学合理的原料脆弱性评估方法和企业内部食品欺诈数据库的必要性, 以最大化的降低因食品欺诈带来的食品安全风险。     

Rollout Strategy to Implement Interoperable Traceability in the Seafood Industry

Verifying the accuracy and rigor of data exchanged within and between businesses for the purposes of traceability rests on the existence of effective and efficient interoperable information systems that meet users’ needs. Interoperability, particularly given the complexities intrinsic to the seafood industry, requires that the systems used by businesses operating along the supply chain share a common technology architecture that is robust, resilient, and evolves as industry needs change. Technology architectures are developed through engaging industry stakeholders in understanding why an architecture is required, the benefits provided to the industry and individual businesses and supply chains, and how the architecture will translate into practical results. This article begins by reiterating the benefits that the global seafood industry can capture by implementing interoperable chain‐length traceability and the reason for basing the architecture on a peer‐to‐peer networked database concept versus more traditional centralized or linear approaches. A summary of capabilities that already exist within the seafood industry that the proposed architecture uses is discussed; and a strategy for implementing the architecture is presented. The 6‐step strategy is presented in the form of a critical path.     

Implementing Interoperability in the Seafood Industry: Learning from Experiences in Other Sectors

Interoperability of communication and information technologies within and between businesses operating along supply chains is being pursued and implemented in numerous industries worldwide to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of operations. The desire for greater interoperability is also driven by the need to reduce business risk through more informed management decisions. Interoperability is achieved by the development of a technology architecture that guides the design and implementation of communication systems existing within individual businesses and between businesses comprising the supply chain. Technology architectures are developed through a purposeful dialogue about why the architecture is required, the benefits and opportunities that the architecture offers the industry, and how the architecture will translate into practical results. An assessment of how the finance, travel, and health industries and a sector of the food industry—fresh produce—have implemented interoperability was conducted to identify lessons learned that can aid the development of interoperability in the seafood industry. The findings include identification of the need for strong, effective governance during the establishment and operation of an interoperability initiative to ensure the existence of common protocols and standards. The resulting insights were distilled into a series of principles for enabling syntactic and semantic interoperability in any industry, which we summarize in this article. Categorized as “structural,” “operational,” and “integrative,” the principles describe requirements and solutions that are pivotal to enabling businesses to create and capture value from full chain interoperability. The principles are also fundamental to allowing governments and advocacy groups to use traceability for public good.     

Application of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis for identification of grouper (Epinephelus guaza), wreck fish (Polyprion americanus), and Nile perch (Lates niloticus) fillets

A random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method was developed for the specific identification of grouper (Epinephelus guaza), wreck fish (Polyprion americanus), and Nile perch (Lates niloticus) fillets. Using two different reaction primers (S1 and L1), RAPD analysis produced clear fingerprints from which the three fish species could be easily identified. This approach is rapid and reliable and offers the potential to detect fraudulent or unintentional mislabeling of these species in routine seafood authentication analysis.     

Short communication: Detection of undeclared presence of bovine milk in buffalo yogurt

The authenticity of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) dairy products is a focal issue, considering the increasing demand for buffalo milk products. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the undeclared presence of bovine (Bos taurus) milk in buffalo yogurt, to understand which risk factors might make the product vulnerable to fraud. Real-time PCR assay showed the undeclared presence of bovine DNA in addition to buffalo DNA in 18 of 72 samples. Given the widespread lack of data on the presence of undeclared milk species in buffalo dairy products, the study provides a significant insight into the incidence of fraud in the buffalo dairy field. The data from this study could help improve the analysis of food safety risks along the buffalo milk supply chain and in the dairy processing industry, perceived as being highly vulnerable to food fraud, and prioritize target areas for food policy making to steer and enforce European food fraud regulations.     

Challenges in the Traceability of Seafood

The increasing global trade of foods and animal feeds have to be channelled in right directions to guarantee product safety, transparency and the protection of consumer health. According to this fact the European Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 lays down the common principle for implementing traceability systems in product supply chains. However, seafood is a highly perishable food item which is increasingly global traded so that a lot of particular conditions and difficulties more have to be taken into account compared to other food products. This review discusses the relevant regulations for traceability in seafood and gives a survey about the most important analysis techniques for characterizing seafood.     

Application of DNA‐Based Methods to Identify Fish and Seafood Substitution on the Commercial Market

ABSTRACT: Fish and seafood substitution has become an important concern in domestic and international marketplaces, in part due to increased international trade, per capita seafood consumption, and production of processed foods. In many cases, seafood substitution is a form of economic deception, where highly prized species are substituted with those of lesser value. To prevent illegal species substitution, a number of DNA‐based methods have been developed to detect fish and seafood species in commercial products. These methods, along with common gene targets, have been reviewed previously in this journal. The current article is meant to build upon earlier discussions by providing a comprehensive review of the application of these DNA‐based methods to the discovery of fish and seafood substitution on the commercial market. Popular food uses, potential substitution cases, and peer‐reviewed research articles published to date are discussed for all major species groups of concern, including flatfish, gadoids, scombroids, salmonids, percoids, sturgeons, sharks, eels, and bivalves. The use of DNA‐based methods to monitor commercial whale meat products is also reviewed.     

Challenges in the Traceability of Seafood

The increasing global trade of foods and animal feeds have to be channelled in right directions to guarantee product safety, transparency and the protection of consumer health. According to this fact the European Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 lays down the common principle for implementing traceability systems in product supply chains. However, seafood is a highly perishable food item which is increasingly global traded so that a lot of particular conditions and difficulties more have to be taken into account compared to other food products. This review discusses the relevant regulations for traceability in seafood and gives a survey about the most important analysis techniques for characterizing seafood. Received: September 17, 2007     

鱼产品掺假鉴别技术研究进展

由于水产品种类多、消费量大,近缘关系之间的物种品质和价格差距悬殊,导致水产品掺假以及错贴标签等欺诈现象层出不穷,损害了消费者的利益甚至健康。传统的感官识别方法具有一定的局限性,因此需要建立快速、准确的水产品鉴别方法。本文总结了常见的几类易掺假的鱼肉及鱼产品,并综述了水产品掺假鉴别技术。掺假鉴别技术主要分为无损检测技术、蛋白质分析技术和核酸分析技术三大类,包括光谱、质谱、酶联免疫吸附测定和聚合酶链式反应等。本文概括了水产品掺假鉴别技术的应用与特点,深入探讨了其发展趋势,期望为水产品掺假鉴别提供技术参考。     

The importance of carbon footprint estimation boundaries

Because of increasing concern about global climate change and carbon emissions as a causal factor, many companies and organizations are pursuing "carbon footprint" projects to estimate their own contributions to global climate change. Protocol definitions from carbon registries help organizations analyze their footprints. The scope of these protocols varies but generally suggests estimating only direct emissions and emissions from purchased energy, with less focus on supply chain emissions. In contrast approaches based on comprehensive environmental life-cycle assessment methods are available to track total emissions across the entire supply chain, and experience suggests that following narrowly defined estimation protocols will generally lead to large underestimates of carbon emissions for providing products and services. Direct emissions from an industry are, on average, only 14% of the total supply chain carbon emissions (often called Tier 1 emissions), and direct emissions plus industry energy inputs are, on average, only 26% of the total supply chain emissions (often called Tier 1 and 2 emissions). Without a full knowledge of their footprints, firms will be unable to pursue the most cost-effective carbon mitigation strategies. We suggest that firms use the screening-level analysis described here to set the bounds of their footprinting strategy to ensure that they do not ignore large sources of environmental effects across their supply chains. Such information can help firms pursue carbon and environmental emission mitigation projects not only within their own plants but also across their supply chain.     

Analytical approaches of meat authentication in food

Meat industry sector is likely exposed to illegal practices which involve replacement of meat ingredients with other animal species. Meat products are commonly modified during processing, and the cases have been rampant in certain part of the world. Meanwhile, individual consumption patterns are affected by religious belief and health reason. For instance, Muslims and Jews are prohibited from consuming pork and allergic reaction to certain meat species affects choices of meat products. Thus, food authentication is vital as it offers protection to consumers from fraudulent act. Numerous authentication techniques have been developed to tackle food fraud issues. Authentication methods are categorised mainly as targeted analysis which provides quantitative outcome and non-targeted analysis which offers qualitative result. In the present review, both targeted and non-targeted analyses for meat species authentication are discussed based on previous research conducted using these methods and how they serve the purpose for authentication.     

Organizational unlearning: A risky food safety strategy?

Strategically unlearning specific knowledge, behaviors, and practices facilitates product and process innovation, business model evolution, and new market opportunities and is essential to meet emergent supply chain and customer requirements. Indeed, addressing societal concerns such as climate change and net zero means elements of contemporary practice in food supply chains need to be unlearned to ensure new practices are adopted. However, unlearning is a risky process if crucial knowledge is lost, for example, if knowledge is situated in the supply base not the organization itself, or there is insufficient organizational food safety knowledge generation, curation, and management when new practices/processes are designed and implemented. An exploratory, critical review of management and food safety academic and gray literature is undertaken that aims to consider the cycle of unlearning, learning, and relearning in food organizations and supply chains with particular emphasis on organizational innovation, inertia, and the impact on food safety management systems and food safety performance. Findings demonstrate it is critical with food safety practices, such as duration date coding or refrigeration practices, that organizations “unlearn” in a way that does not increase organizational, food safety, or public health risk. This paper contributes to extant literature by highlighting the organizational vulnerabilities that can arise when strategically unlearning to promote sustainability in a food supply context. Mitigating such organizational, food safety, and public health risk means organizations must simultaneously drive unlearning, learning, and relearning as a dynamic integrated knowledge acquisition and management approach. The research implications are of value to academics, business managers, and wider industry.     

Identification of fish species by 5S rRNA gene amplification

The 5S ribosomal RNA is a very suitable target for easy, rapid and inexpensive fish species identification due to its structure, consisting of a conserved region followed by a species-specific noncoding region called ‘nontranscribed spacer’. We have exploited this species-specificity in length and sequence to discriminate among fish species which can be subjected to substitution in the fish markets. After sequencing and alignment of the corresponding portions of the 5S rRNAs of different fish species, we have designed the primer pairs necessary for PCR amplification on the DNA traits which most diverged and a primer pair on conserved regions. Our results have shown the feasibility, simplicity and reliability of the proposed approach for the detection of mislabelling or fraudulent substitution of fish species.