Aquatic foods to nourish nations.

Despite contributing to healthy diets for billions of people, aquatic foods are often undervalued as a nutritional solution because their diversity is often reduced to the protein and energy value of a single food type ('seafood' or 'fish')1-4. Here we create a cohesive model that unites terrestrial foods with nearly 3,000 taxa of aquatic foods to understand the future impact of aquatic foods on human nutrition. We project two plausible futures to 2030: a baseline scenario with moderate growth in aquatic animal-source food (AASF) production, and a high-production scenario with a 15-million-tonne increased supply of AASFs over the business-as-usual scenario in 2030, driven largely by investment and innovation in aquaculture production. By comparing changes in AASF consumption between the scenarios, we elucidate geographic and demographic vulnerabilities and estimate health impacts from diet-related causes. Globally, we find that a high-production scenario will decrease AASF prices by 26% and increase their consumption, thereby reducing the consumption of red and processed meats that can lead to diet-related non-communicable diseases5,6 while also preventing approximately 166 million cases of inadequate micronutrient intake. This finding provides a broad evidentiary basis for policy makers and development stakeholders to capitalize on the potential of aquatic foods to reduce food and nutrition insecurity and tackle malnutrition in all its forms.

Bioactive fatty acids in seafood from Ionian Sea and relation to dietary recommendations.

The objective of the present study was to determine lipid content, fatty acid composition and the recommended daily portion of 13 fish species, nine bivalves, six crustacean, three echinoderm and three cephalopod species, from the Mediterranean Sea (Southern Italy). Fatty acids profile varied significantly among species (p < .05); polyunsaturated fatty acids represented an important proportion, with docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids in the highest amount. A high n3/n6 ratio was found in all species (from 1.0 in body wall of Holothuria polii and H. tubulosa to 10.9 in Mytilus galloprovincialis). The lipid nutritional quality indices (atherogenic index, thrombogenicity index and hypocholesterolaemic/hypercholesterolaemic fatty acid ratio) showed crustaceans Parapaeneus longirostris, Plesionika martia, Melicertus kerathurus, Nephrops norvegicus, as likely to be more beneficial for the consumer health. This paper will be of practical value from a health perspective for populations who consume seafood and a powerful marketing tool for farmers.

Rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry coupled with an electrosurgical knife for the rapid identification of Mediterranean Sea species.

The topic of food analysis and safety has attracted increasing interest in recent decades owing to recent scandals concerning fraudulent activities (mislabeling, sophistication, adulteration, etc.) that can undermine human health. Among them, seafood fraud has probably the strongest relationship with food safety, an activity that goes beyond economic interests. This article explores the capabilities of an innovative instrumental setup, called the "iKnife," as a powerful tool in this specific research area, where until now genomics and proteomics have been the workhorses in analytical approaches. iKnife, which means "intelligent knife," is the name of a recent technology based on rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry (REIMS). REIMS is an emerging technique able to characterize different samples rapidly, affording a comprehensive profile usable as a fingerprint, without the need for preliminary extraction or cleanup procedures. In detail, a REIMS source is coupled to a high-resolution tandem mass spectrometer; such coupling allows one to maximize the amount of information (discriminant features) collected for a single analysis, as well as to focus on target analytes to achieve enhanced sensitivity and selectivity. A database was created from 18 marine species typical of the Mediterranean Sea, all caught in the very small area of the Strait of Messina, and reliable identification was achieved for each species with confidence higher than 99%. One big model and three submodels were built by principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis for unambiguous key variable identification within each class (e.g., Cephalopoda), order (e.g., Perciformes), or family (e.g., Carangidae). Graphical abstract.

Potential use of stable isotope and fatty acid analyses for traceability of geographic origins of jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas).

RATIONALE: Squid is an important seafood resource for Asian and European countries. With the continuous development of processed squid products, an effective traceability system has become increasingly prominent. Here, we attempt to trace the fishery products of the main target species, jumbo squid (Dosidicus gigas), by using biochemical tracers. METHODS: Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ13 C and δ15 N values) and fatty acid profiles were identified in squid from three harvest locations in the eastern Pacific Ocean by isotope ratio mass spectrometry and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, respectively. Comparative analysis was used to evaluate the geographic variations in tracers and to identify the suitable discriminatory variables among origins. RESULTS: Significant spatial variations were found in isotopic values and fatty acid profiles in squid muscle tissues, possibly because of different food availability and/or oceanographic conditions that each group experiences at a given location. The stepwise discriminant analysis indicated that δ15 N, C16:1n7, C17:1n7, C18:2n6, C20:1 and C20:4n6 were effective variables at differentiating origin. CONCLUSIONS: Combined use of stable isotope ratios and fatty acid analyses could trace geographic origins of jumbo squid. This study provides an alternative approach for improving authenticity evaluation of commercial squid products.

When You Get What You Haven't Paid for: Molecular Identification of "Douradinha" Fish Fillets Can Help End the Illegal Use of River Dolphins as Bait in Brazil.

The fishery for Calophysus macropterus, an Amazonian necrophagous catfish, is highly detrimental to river dolphins and caimans, which are deliberately killed for use as bait. In the Brazilian Amazon, this fishery has increased over the last decade, in spite of the rejection of scavenger fishes by Brazilian consumers. It was suspected that C. macropterus fillets were being sold in Brazilian markets, disguised as a fictitious fish (the "douradinha"). We collected 62 fillets from "douradinha" and other suspiciously named fish from 4 fish-processing plants sold at 6 markets in Manaus, in the Brazilian Amazon, and sequenced the cytochrome b gene to identify fillets to species. Sixty percent of fillets labeled "douradinha" or with other deceptive names were actually C. macropterus. Six other fish species of low commercial value were also found. The presence of dolphin tissue in the stomach contents of C. macropterus was confirmed by mtDNA control region sequencing. Our results formed the scientific basis for a moratorium on the fishing and fraudulent selling of C. macropterus, issued by the Brazilian Ministries of the Environment and Fisheries. Exposure of this fraud via the mass media can help end the illegal use of dolphins as bait in Brazil.

Classification of fish samples via an integrated proteomics and bioinformatics approach.

There is an increasing demand to develop cost-effective and accurate approaches to analyzing biological tissue samples. This is especially relevant in the fishing industry where closely related fish samples can be mislabeled, and the high market value of certain fish leads to the use of alternative species as substitutes, for example, Barramundi and Nile Perch (belonging to the same genus, Lates). There is a need to combine selective proteomic datasets with sophisticated computational analysis to devise a robust classification approach. This paper describes an integrated MS-based proteomics and bioinformatics approach to classifying a range of fish samples. A classifier is developed using training data that successfully discriminates between Barramundi and Nile Perch samples using a selected protein subset of the proteome. Additionally, the classifier is shown to successfully discriminate between test samples not used to develop the classifier, including samples that have been cooked, and to classify other fish species as neither Barramundi nor Nile Perch. This approach has applications to truth in labeling for fishmongers and restaurants, monitoring fish catches, and for scientific research into distances between species.

[Seafood poisonings. Part I. Shellfish and crustacean poisonings]. / Zatrucia zywnoscia pochodzenia morskiego. Czesc I. Zatrucia mieczakami i skorupiakami.

Seafood is a valuable source of nutrients, therefore, it constitutes an important part of diet in some geographical regions. The consumption of some shellfish and crustacean species may be a cause of food poisonings in humans, mainly due to simultaneous ingestion of biotoxins produced by algae, cyanobacteria, and bacteria. These toxins are accumulated in higher links of a food chain, i.e. mollusks and crustaceans, that consume toxins filtering phytoplankton. In the present paper the etiology, pathogenesis, symptomatology and treatment of some shellfish poisonings are presented.

Blinded taste panel evaluations to determine if fish from near the oil sands are preferred less than fish from other locations in Alberta, Canada.

The oil sands industry is rapidly expanding surface mining and bitumen extraction operations near the Athabasca River in northeastern Alberta, Canada. There are anecdotal comments that the fish from the Athabasca River have an off-taste, implying that the oil sands operations are the cause. This study was done to determine if the taste of wild fishes caught near the Athabasca oil sands was less preferred than the taste of fishes collected from two other river basins in Alberta. In blinded experiments, consumer sensory panels, of 40 to 44 participants, tasted steamed samples of each of three fish species (walleye (Sander vitreus), northern pike (Esox lucius), and lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis)) from three different sources in Alberta (the Athabasca River, Buck Lake, and McGregor Lake). Data analyses showed that there was no evidence from the consumer preference rankings that the taste of the fish from the Athabasca River was preferred less than the taste of fish from two other water bodies in Alberta.

A single-laboratory validated method for the generation of DNA barcodes for the identification of fish for regulatory compliance.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is responsible for ensuring that the nation's food supply is safe and accurately labeled. This task is particularly challenging in the case of seafood where a large variety of species are marketed, most of this commodity is imported, and processed product is difficult to identify using traditional morphological methods. Reliable species identification is critical for both foodborne illness investigations and for prevention of deceptive practices, such as those where species are intentionally mislabeled to circumvent import restrictions or for resale as species of higher value. New methods that allow accurate and rapid species identifications are needed, but any new methods to be used for regulatory compliance must be both standardized and adequately validated. "DNA barcoding" is a process by which species discriminations are achieved through the use of short, standardized gene fragments. For animals, a fragment (655 base pairs starting near the 5' end) of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 mitochondrial gene has been shown to provide reliable species level discrimination in most cases. We provide here a protocol with single-laboratory validation for the generation of DNA barcodes suitable for the identification of seafood products, specifically fish, in a manner that is suitable for FDA regulatory use.

Identification of Fish Species and Toxins Implicated in a Snapper Food Poisoning Event in Sabah, Malaysia, 2017.

In the coastal countries of Southeast Asia, fish is a staple diet and certain fish species are food delicacies to local populations or commercially important to individual communities. Although there have been several suspected cases of ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) in Southeast Asian countries, few have been confirmed by ciguatoxins identification, resulting in limited information for the correct diagnosis of this food-borne disease. In the present study, ciguatoxin-1B (CTX-1B) in red snapper (Lutjanus bohar) implicated in a CFP case in Sabah, Malaysia, in December 2017 was determined by single-quadrupole selected ion monitoring (SIM) liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Continuous consumption of the toxic fish likely resulted in CFP, even when the toxin concentration in the fish consumed was low. The identification of the fish species was performed using the molecular characterization of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene marker, with a phylogenetic analysis of the genus Lutjanus. This is the first report identifying the causative toxin in fish-implicated CFP in Malaysia.

Identification of tuna species in commercial cans by minor groove binder probe real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences.

Three different minor groove binder (MGB) probe assays have been developed for rapid and accurate identification of the species commonly used for production of canned tuna, i.e. yellowfin (Thunnus albacares), bluefin (Thunnus thynnus) and albacore (Thunnus alalunga) tunas. The assays targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene were able to discriminate efficiently between the three species contained in fresh or canned tunas and did not react with other Scombroidei that were tested. A correct species prediction was obtained even from artificial mixtures prepared with different amounts of the reference tuna species and subjected to the sterilisation treatment. Testing of 27 commercial canned tunas by PCR-RFLP, MGB probe assays and sequence analysis showed a concordance of 100% between the last two techniques, whereas by using PCR-RFLP several samples were uncharacterised or mischaracterised. These results make the established MGB probe assays an attractive tool for direct and rapid species identification in canned tuna.

Detection and identification of Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense plerocercoids from wild Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) in Japan.

We investigated the risk of diphyllobothriasis from ingestion of wild Pacific salmon in Japan by surveying Diphyllobothrium plerocercoids in 182 salmon samples obtained from Japan. The plerocercoids were not detected in chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) (0/26), called Akizake in Japan, caught between September and November. However, the detection rate of plerocercoids in chum salmon, called Tokishirazu in Japan, caught between early April and June, was 51.1% (24/47) with an average of two plerocercoid larvae per fish. The detection rates of cherry salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) and pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) were 12.2% (10/82) and 18.5% (5/27), respectively, and the average number of plerocercoids per fish was 0.45 (37 larvae/82 fishes) and 0.22 larvae (6 larvae/27 fishes), respectively. Plerocercoids isolated from O. keta and O. masou were identified as Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense on the basis of molecular analysis of the cox1 and nad3 genes. Moreover, four tapeworms (three from O. keta and one from O. masou) were obtained by infecting golden hamsters with plerocercoids. The morphological features of these tapeworms were similar to those of D. nihonkaiense isolated from humans. Therefore, we think that O. keta and not O. masou is the most important source of plerocercoid infections in Japan.

Test-Retest Reliability of a Food Frequency Questionnaire to Assess Seafood Intake Dynamics for High-End Consumers in Coastal Gulf of Mexico Communities.

Background: Estimates for fish and shellfish intake are used to inform communities and healthcare systems about potential health risks and benefits for individuals, communities, and vulnerable populations. A dietary assessment instrument was designed for use in populations of high-end consumers of seafood to examine intake of finfish, shrimp, oysters, and blue crab in coastal communities across the Gulf of Mexico. Objective: To validate the reliability of a novel food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for seafood intake. Design: Test-retest reliability of the FFQ, which included a species-specific photographic portion guide, was evaluated by the inperson administration and readministration of the instrument with each participant by the same interviewer. Responses from coastal and noncoastal participants were compared to discern FFQ reliability in heterogeneous samples. Participants/setting. A convenience sample of 27 coastal participants from Cedar Key, Steinhatchee, and Apalachicola, Florida, reported data for 101 household members; and 15 noncoastal participants from Gainesville, Florida, reported for 42 household members. Analysis. Repeated measures from the FFQ were evaluated using correlation concordance for continuous variables (age, weight, and height) and kappa coefficient for categorical variables (type, amount, and frequency of seafood consumed). Results: Concordance correlation coefficient (1.00) and kappa coefficient (r = 0.73 to 1.00) for yearly and seasonal seafood consumption indicated substantial to almost perfect reproducibility, i.e., participants provided responses that were reproducible. Test-retest agreement was highest for coastal participants who consumed more seafood, as compared to occasional, noncoastal consumers, based on the intergroup comparison of kappa coefficients for yearly and seasonal seafood consumption (r = 0.69 to 0.99). Conclusions: The seafood FFQ instrument evaluated in this study, included as a supplement to this report, used in tandem with a photographic portion guide, provides a utilitarian tool for assessing fish, shrimp, oyster, and blue crab intake dynamics in adult and youth populations drawn from coastal communities.

Presence of Anisakidae in commercial fish species imported into the Belgian food markets: A systematic review and meta-analyses.

Anisakidae are marine zoonotic nematodes with most commercial fish species as intermediate hosts. Both public health risks and socio-economic problems are attributed to these larvae. Despite these concerns, the occurrence of Anisakidae in commercial fish species in Belgium remains unknown. Therefore, the main objective of this systematic review was to look into studies assessing the prevalence and intensity (level of infection) of Anisakidae in countries importing fish to the Belgian market. The databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Cordis, Google Scholar, Google, African Journals online and Asia Journals online were searched. Main eligibility criteria were: fish species consumed in Belgium; studies conducted in one of the main importing countries; and the availability of prevalence data. From the original 519 identified studies, 83 were included with data from Spain, Germany, Chile, Denmark, Turkey, France, China, England, Belgium, Norway, Iceland, Senegal and Sweden. Overall results show a widespread occurrence of Anisakidae with a high variability in prevalence between fish species and fishing sea. Cod (Gadus morhua) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), the most consumed fish species in Belgium, have a mean prevalence of 33% and 5% respectively. Of all investigated fishing zones, fish caught in the Northeast Atlantic has the highest rate of infection (68%). Furthermore, higher prevalences were found when looking at the viscera (mean prevalence 59%) compared to the muscle (29%) and with superior techniques such as enzymatic digestion or UV press (46%) compared to candling, the routine method (23%). Farmed fish were found to be the least infected (2%) but were still not Anisakidae free. The widespread presence of Anisakidae and the associated food safety implications indicate the need to further investigate the presence of Anisakidae in fish in the Belgian market.

Lab experience with seafood control at the undergraduate level: Cephalopods as a case study.

The correct labeling of seafood is important to protect nature and the rights of consumers. Given the certainty that the resources of the sea are not inexhaustible, only strict regulations and the implementation of sustainable fishing systems and reliable and traceable marketing systems can help ensure the long-term sustainability of fishery resources. Detecting mislabeling and seafood fraud is a useful resource for improving students' motivation and developing active learning methodologies in higher education. In the present study, we have proposed to the students a lab exercise consisting of exploring 25 different commercial cephalopod products from three major European supermarkets by using DNA barcoding and analyzing the results under the framework of EU and Spanish regulations. The problem is connected with the last theme (traceability) of the Conservation Genetics and Breeding course with the aim of providing students with a practical research lab experience about a real problem before going deeper into more theoretical contents. In this way, they can use the knowledge and the skills they acquired previously to better comprehend and think critically about the problem. Findings from students' answers to a survey revealed that the use of this approach generates useful information for communities, increases curiosity and feelings of benefit, and leads to high levels of satisfaction with lab practices compared with those in other courses. In conclusion, lab exercises focused on seafood control, in addition to being viable, can be used as a tool in classes to improve students' commitment to higher education.

Over 90 endangered fish and invertebrates are caught in industrial fisheries.

Industrial-scale harvest of species at risk of extinction is controversial and usually highly regulated on land and for charismatic marine animals (e.g. whales). In contrast, threatened marine fish species can be legally caught in industrial fisheries. To determine the magnitude and extent of this problem, we analyze global fisheries catch and import data and find reported catch records of 91 globally threatened species. Thirteen of the species are traded internationally and predominantly consumed in European nations. Targeted industrial fishing for 73 of the threatened species accounts for nearly all (99%) of the threatened species catch volume and value. Our results are a conservative estimate of threatened species catch and trade because we only consider species-level data, excluding group records such as 'sharks and rays.' Given the development of new fisheries monitoring technologies and the current push for stronger international mechanisms for biodiversity management, industrial fishing of threatened fish and invertebrates should no longer be neglected in conservation and sustainability commitments.

Small is beautiful, but large is certified: A comparison between fisheries the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) features in its promotional materials and MSC-certified fisheries.

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sets a standard by which sustainable fisheries can be assessed and eco-certified. It is one of the oldest and most well-known fisheries certifications, and an estimated 15% of global fish catch is MSC-certified. While the MSC is increasingly recognized by decision-makers as an indicator for fishery success, it is also criticized for weak standards and overly-lenient third-party certifiers. This gap between the standard's reputation and its actual implementation could be a result of how the MSC markets and promotes its brand. Here we classify MSC-certified fisheries by gear type (i.e. active vs. passive) as well as by length of the vessels involved (i.e. large scale vs. small scale; with the division between the two occurring at 12 m in overall length). We compared the MSC-certified fisheries (until 31 December 2017) to 399 photographs the MSC used in promotional materials since 2009. Results show that fisheries involving small-scale vessels and passive gears were disproportionately represented in promotional materials: 64% of promotional photographs were of passive gears, although only 40% of MSC-certified fisheries and 17% of the overall catch were caught by passive gears from 2009-2017. Similarly, 49% of the photographs featured small-scale vessels, although just 20% of MSC-certified fisheries and 7% of the overall MSC-certified catch used small-scale vessels from 2009 to 2017. The MSC disproportionately features photographs of small-scale fisheries although the catch it certifies is overwhelmingly from industrial fisheries.

Recipes for foodborne outbreaks: a scheme for categorizing and grouping implicated foods.

BACKGROUND: To better understand the sources of foodborne illness, we propose a scheme for categorizing foods implicated in investigations of outbreaks of foodborne diseases. Because nearly 2000 foods have been reported as causing outbreaks in the United States, foods must be grouped for meaningful analyses. METHODS: We defined a hierarchy of 17 mutually exclusive food commodities. We defined the following three commodity groups from which nearly all food is derived: aquatic animals, land animals, and plants. We defined three commodities in aquatic animals, six in land animals, and eight in plants. We considered each food as a set of ingredients composed of one or more commodities. We defined a simple food as one made of ingredients that are all in one commodity and a complex food as one containing ingredients in more than one commodity. We determined likely ingredients using a panel of epidemiologists and a web-based search process. RESULTS: We assigned 1709 (95%) of the 1794 foods implicated in outbreaks of foodborne diseases reported to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1973 to 2006. Of those, 987 (57%) were simple foods and 722 (43%) were complex foods. DISCUSSION: This categorization may serve as an input for modeling the attribution of human illness to specific food commodities and could be used by policy makers, health officials, regulatory agencies, and consumer groups to evaluate the contribution of various food commodities to illness.

The elements of a consumer-based initiative in contributing to positive environmental change: Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program.

Monterey Bay Aquarium launched the Seafood Watch program in 2000. The program's Seafood Watch pocket guide is a simple tool that visitors can use to identify seafood from environmentally responsible sources. Since its inception, more than 2 million pocket guides have been distributed to Monterey Bay Aquarium visitors and 20 million have been distributed through partnerships across the United States. Partner institutions such as aquariums, conservation organizations, and businesses also conduct outreach and are working to influence their local seafood purveyors. An evaluation conducted in 2003 and 2004 assessed the program's strategies for increasing awareness and shifting consumer buying habits as they relate to sustainable seafood, including use of the pocket guide. Visitors who picked up pocket guides were surveyed immediately after their aquarium visit, and again four months later. The evaluation found that most visitors continued to use the guides and had changed their seafood buying habits in several respects. Those interviewed also reported some barriers to using the guides. The elements that appear to be critical to the success of the strategy with respect to changing consumer purchasing habits include: a focused distribution approach; providing credible and specific information on problems and solutions to increase action-related knowledge; providing a trigger or prompt that is available at the time of purchase; and reducing barriers to action, at the point of action, by working with seafood purveyors and the broader sustainable seafood movement to increase knowledge and available options. In response to the evaluation, Seafood Watch has strengthened these elements and expanded to help meet the needs of the broader sustainable seafood movement. A process of strategic planning, evaluation, cooperation among partners, and adaptability to the movement's natural evolution has proven to be critical to the program's success in contributing to the development of a marketplace for sustainable seafood.

DNA barcoding validates species labelling of certified seafood.

Seafood is one of the most traded food commodities in the world with demand steadily increasing [1]. There is, however, a rising concern over the vulnerability of seafood supply chains to species mislabelling and fraud [1,2]. DNA methods have been widely used to detect species mislabelling and a recent meta-analysis of 4500 seafood product tests from 51 publications found an average of 30 percent were not the species stated on the label or menu [3]. This high rate poses a serious threat to consumer trust, reputations of seafood businesses and the sustainability of fishery resources. Seafood certification schemes may help reduce this problem. Here, we use DNA barcoding [4] to validate the species identity of 1402 certified seafood products derived from 27 species across 18 countries and find that in over 99% of cases species labelling was correct.