Best-fitted regression models for profitability of two egg-type commercial pullets.

This study is focused on describing the most important factors which have a great influence on profitability of egg production of two commercial layer flocks under Egyptian conditions, LSL white and brown. The data for each flock has been collected from seven governorates including the Delta and Upper Egypt zones over the period 2005-2012. General linear procedure was generated to get both least square means and separation of means. Application of stepwise regression was carried to predict the most important factors that affect egg production profitability in US dollar. White egg layers had significantly higher net profit per hen than the brown egg type, being as 12.2 vs. 12.1 cents for the white and brown type egg layers, respectively. Closed houses and battery systems were the preferred systems for the white-egg genotype where pullets achieved significantly higher egg income over feed coast by 15.9 and 14.9 cents for closed and battery system, respectively compared to 10.9 and 11.5 cents for the LSL brown one, respectively. Open houses and floor systems were profitable for brown-egg genotype by recording a significantly higher profitability as 13.3 and 12.7 cents, respectively copmared to 8.7 and 9.7 cents for the white-egg genotype.Both white and brown-egg types had recorded significantly higher net profitability under delta zone rather than upper Egypt by 2.2 cents and 2.1 cents, respectively. Application of the stepwise regression procedure was to predict the net profit (Y) from three independent variables, egg weight (X1), egg price (X2), and hen housed egg production (X3). Generally, LSL white layers, egg price (X2) had the highest share in profitability by 44.24% compared to hen housed egg production (X3) that share 29.98%. For LSL brown layers, egg weight (X1) is the most important factor accounting for the profitability in cents. Its relative importance to the profitability is 57.24% followed by egg price (X2) 21.25%. Hen housed egg production (X3) had very little share 0.14%.

The impact of the fipronil crisis on the financial performance of Dutch laying hen farms.

BACKGROUND: Illegal use of fipronil as an insecticide in 2017 has caused substantial damage to Dutch laying hen farms. We assessed how the fipronil crisis has affected the financial performance of affected farms as well as unaffected farms. While affected farms faced culling their flocks and lost revenue, unaffected farms benefitted from temporary high egg prices. METHODS: A three-step normative modelling approach is taken using financial statements and a partial budget. The estimations are for a 50,000 laying hen farm facing the fipronil crisis for 5 months. First, a baseline is created by generating an income statement of this laying hen farm representing a 'normal year'. Second, incremental costs and revenue as a result of the fipronil crisis are estimated. Third, the baseline income statement is updated with the outcomes of the partial budget. This results in two additional income statements that report the net operating result of this farm being unaffected and affected by the fipronil crisis. RESULTS: While in a normal year this average-sized farm has a net operating result of around 18,000 euros, profitability was estimated to be - 369,000 euros and + 169,000 euros for the affected and unaffected farm due to the crisis respectively. For affected farms, impacts were especially high as there was no government compensation or insurance. CONCLUSIONS: As Dutch farms typically operate as independent family farms, there was also no compensation from other chain actors. The affected farms therefore likely have faced financial distress and have had to increase debt or use their financial reserves for household consumption and restarting the business. Outcomes contribute to discussions around liability claims and cost-benefit assessments of measures to improve the chain food safety and rapid alert systems.

Eggs Are Cost-Efficient in Delivering Several Shortfall Nutrients in the American Diet: A Cost-Analysis in Children and Adults.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the cost of eggs in relation to nutrient delivery in children and adults. The present analysis used dietary intake data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2016 (egg consumers: 2-18 years-old, N = 956; 19+ years-old, N = 2424). Inflation adjusted food cost and the cost of nutrients were obtained from the Center for Nutrition Promotion and Policy food cost database. Cost and nutrient profiles for What We Eat in America food categories were compared to whole eggs. Of the 15 main food groups examined, whole eggs ranked third for lowest cost per 100 g (excluding beverages), such that eggs cost 0.35 USD per 100 g, with dairy and grains representing the first and second most cost-efficient foods, at 0.23 USD and 0.27 USD per 100 g, respectively. In children and adults, eggs represented a cost-efficient food for protein delivery, such that eggs provided nearly 2.7% and 3.7% of all protein in the diet, respectively, at a cost of about 0.03 USD per g of protein. Eggs contributed 3.8% and 6.0% of all vitamin A in the diet of children and adults, at a cost of approximately 0.002 USD and 0.003 USD per RAE mcg of vitamin A, respectively. In children 2-18 years-old, nearly 12% of all choline in the diet is delivered from eggs, at a cost of approximately 0.002 USD per mg of choline. Similarly, in adults 19-years-old+, eggs provide nearly 15% of all dietary choline in the diet, at a cost of approximately 0.002 USD per mg of choline. Eggs provide nearly 5% and 9.5% of all vitamin D in the diet of children and adults, at a cost of approximately 0.21 USD and 0.22 USD per mcg of vitamin D, respectively. Overall, eggs ranked as the most cost-efficient food for delivering protein, choline, and vitamin A, second for vitamin E, and third for vitamin D in children. In adults, eggs ranked as the most cost-efficient food for delivering protein and choline, second for vitamin A, and third for vitamin D and vitamin E. In summary, eggs represent an economical food choice for the delivery of protein and several shortfall nutrients (choline, vitamin A, and vitamin D) in the American diet.

National general truck drivers' strike and food security in a Brazilian metropolis.

OBJECTIVE: We analysed the impact of the national general truck drivers' strike on the availability, variety and price of foods sold by a food supply centre. DESIGN: Descriptive study using secondary data to examine the percentage change in the mean price of fruits, vegetables and eggs before, during and after the strike. The strike in Brazil lasted 10 d from 21 to 30 May 2018. The drivers were on strike in order to make diesel oil tax-free and to obtain better working conditions. SETTING: The food supply centre, named CEASA-Minas Grande BH, was located in the metropolitan area of a Brazilian city. PARTICIPANTS: We examined twenty types of foods. RESULTS: After 10 d, there was a ~30 % reduction in the availability of all types of foods and prices increased. Foods with the highest price increases included cabbage (233·3 %), potatoes (220·0 %), papaya (160·0 %) and oranges (78·6 %). At the end of the strike, we observed reductions in the price of eggs, fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers; however, some foods remained more expensive than before the strike, including chayote (203·2 % higher), cucumber (66·7 % higher) and potatoes (60·0 % higher). CONCLUSIONS: The general truck drivers' strike was correlated with a reduction in the availability of food and, consequently, increases in price and possibly restrictions on access. The strike demonstrated the dependence of metropolises on road transportation and the conventional market. We speculate that initiatives aiming to shorten the food supply chain and promote food sovereignty and resilience of the supply circuits could be important.

Avaliação de práticas estabelecidas na produção e comercialização de ovos caipiras: um estudo de caso sobre um programa de incentivo à avicultura no Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Evaluation of practices established in production and marketing of free-range eggs: a case study on a poultry farming development program in the State of Rio de Janeiro

A agricultura familiar é responsável por práticas produtivas mais sustentáveis e desenvolvimento local. Dessa forma, incentivos à avicultura, por intermédio da agricultura familiar, têm sido viabilizados através do Programa Rio Rural. Neste sentido, o trabalho teve por objetivo realizar o levantamento de informações que subsidiem estratégias para melhorias do sistema de produção e comercialização de ovos caipiras. Os resultados indicam que apesar de índices produtivos baixos, a maioria dos beneficiários está satisfeita com a atividade. Nota-se ainda que as práticas sanitárias são deficientes, e que os produtos comercializados, em grande parte informalmente, não seguem as condições adequadas. Conclui-se que as ações de assistência técnica devem ser ampliadas de forma que viabilizem um sistema produtivo ajustado e com bases sustentáveis.

How Can the Value and Use of Egg Yolk Be Increased?

The major driving force for the egg consumption in the United States over the past few decades was processed egg. However, the consumption of egg through the processed egg reached the plateau in recent years because of the imbalance in the demands between the egg white and yolk products. The consumer demands for egg white products are very high while those for the egg yolk, the co-product of dried egg white, are low because of the negative perceptions on egg yolk. Two key approaches that can be used to increase the value and use of egg yolk are: (1) developing new commodity products by fractionating egg yolk and apply them in various food processing, and (2) separating functional proteins and lipids from yolk and use them as is or further develop functional peptides and functional lipids and use them as pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical agents. These approaches can diversify the use of egg yolk, which eventually will help increase the consumption of egg. This review (1) discusses the current use of egg yolk products and the development of new functional commodity products from egg yolk, (2) review the important functional components in egg yolk and overview the current separation methods and their applications, (3) discuss the production of functional peptides and lipids using the separated egg proteins and lipids, and (4) suggest the future directions for the best use of egg yolk components. Development of scale-up production methods, which is vital for the practical applications, is discussed when appropriate.

Consumer Attitudes Toward Animal Welfare-Friendly Products and Willingness to Pay: Exploration of Mexican Market Segments.

The study aim was to identify consumer segmentation based on nonhuman animal welfare (AW) attitudes and their relationship with demographic features and willingness to pay (WTP) for welfare-friendly products (WFP) in Mexico. Personal interviews were conducted with 843 Mexican consumers who stated they purchased most of the animal products in their home. Respondents were selected using a quota sampling method with age, gender, education, and origin as quota control variables. The multivariate analysis suggested there were three clusters or consumer profiles labeled "skeptical," "concerned," and "ethical," which helped explain the association between AW attitudes, some demographic variables, and WTP for WFP. This study is one of the first to address consumer profiling in Latin America, and the findings could have implications for the commercialization of WFP. Hence, customers should receive information to consider welfare innovations when deciding to purchase animal products. The growth of the WFP food market establishes an element of a far more multifaceted phenomenon of sustainable consumption and support of a new paradigm called responsible marketing in emerging markets such as Mexico.

An egg for everyone: Pathways to universal access to one of nature's most nutritious foods.

Eggs are a highly nutritious food but have been shown to be infrequently consumed in many low-income countries, especially by women and children. We collate country-level data on egg production, availability, consumption, prices, industry structure, and contextual trends and use these to estimate current patterns and likely future outcomes under four alternative scenarios. These scenarios are as follows: incremental change based on expected economic growth and urbanisation (the base scenario); enhanced productivity of independent small producers; aggregated production in egg hubs; and the accelerated spread of large-scale intensive production. All scenarios are modelled out to 2030 using a mix of regression and deterministic models. We find that children's consumption of eggs is highly correlated with national availability, and both are a function of egg prices. Eggs are unavailable, expensive, and infrequently consumed by children in much of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The base scenario results in modest increases in production in low-income regions. Focusing efforts on independent small producers can only boost rural consumption in a handful of countries where poultry ownership is unusually high and would be expensive and logistically challenging to scale. Aggregation of production, with minimum flock sizes of 5,000 layers per farm, is a more promising pathway to increasing availability in rural areas. To meet the needs of urban populations, large-scale intensive production is needed. Intensive production brings down prices significantly, allowing many more poor households to access and consume eggs. Recent experience in countries such as Thailand confirms that this is both feasible and impactful.

Are views towards egg farming associated with Brazilian and Chilean egg consumers' purchasing habits?

In many industrialised countries, public rejection of intensive animal production systems has led to the development of legislation and industry actions that have resulted in significant changes in animal care at the farm level. However, little is known about the views of citizens from emerging countries regarding animal production. The aims of this study were to explore the views of Brazilian and Chilean consumers towards egg farming, and to investigate if these views are associated with participants' eggs purchasing habits and reported willingness to pay (WTP) more for eggs produced in the conditions they perceive as important. In an open question, participants (n = 716) were asked to describe an ideal egg production farm and explain their reasons. This was followed by closed questions asking egg purchasing habits, willingness to pay for eggs produced in the conditions they perceive as important and demographic information. Participants main concerns were with animal welfare, naturalness, hygiene, production, and ethical aspects, which many associated with improved health, sensory, and nutritional quality of the eggs. The views of participants towards an ideal egg production farm were associated, to some extent, with type of egg purchasing habits and WTP a premium for organic or free-range eggs. Our results suggest a demand for more natural, animal friendly egg production systems; furthermore, they indicate a disconnect between lay citizens' expectations and industry practices, given that intensive confined systems typically fail to supply many of the expected characteristics.

Completion task to uncover consumer's perception: a case study using distinct types of hen's eggs.

The choice and consumption of eggs are made considering a consumers' multidimensional perception, and their understanding becomes essential to the production targeting and the products' success in the market. In this context, this work aimed to verify the consumers' perception about the distinct types of hens' eggs, using a projective technique of completion task combined with presentation of images. A hundred consumers (n = 100) evaluated the main factors, both positive and negative, involved at the purchase time of eggs besides estimating their price. Between the positive factors that guide the eggs' consumption and purchase, the category with highest mention of terms was "Health," whereas negatively it was highlighted the category "Price." Concerning the perception of price, the results showed that the factory farm white eggs' value was the one that least differed from the average market price, possibly due to the nearness and familiarity with this variety. The methodology of completion task combined with presentation of images proved as being a practical and efficient tool to capture the consumers' perception of eggs, capable of providing valuable information to the ones involved in the production chain and commercialization of these products.

Analysis of veterinary drug residue monitoring results for commercial livestock products in Taiwan between 2011 and 2015.

Antibiotics have been widely used in the treatment of livestock diseases. However, the emergence of issues related to drug resistance prompted governments to enact a series of laws regulating the use of antibiotics in livestock. Following control of the problem of drug resistant bacteria, public attention has shifted to the recurring incidence of human health and safety issues caused by residual veterinary drugs in livestock products. To guarantee the safety and hygiene of meat, milk, and eggs from food-producing animals, governments and relevant agencies established laws and regulations for the use of veterinary drugs. It is, therefore, necessary to monitor the content of residual drugs in livestock products at regular intervals to assess whether the regulations have resulted in the effective management of food product safety, and to prevent and manage sudden problems related to this issue. A 2011-2015 livestock product post-marketing monitoring program launched by the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) inspected 1487 livestock products. Over the past 5 years, there were 34 samples identified that did not conform to the regulations; these samples included residue drugs such as ß-agonists, chloramphenicols, ß-lactam antibiotics, sulfa drugs, enrofloxacin, and lincomycin. Inspections of commercial livestock products with the consistent cooperation of agricultural authorities did not detect the drugs that were banned by the government, whereas the detection of other drugs decreased annually with an increase in the post-market monitoring sample size. In the future, the TFDA will continue to monitor the status of residual veterinary drugs in commercial livestock products, adjust the sampling of food products annually according to monitoring results, and closely cooperate with agricultural authorities on source management.

Treatment of Salmonella-Contaminated Eggs and Pork with a Broad-Spectrum, Single Bacteriophage: Assessment of Efficacy and Resistance Development.

Numerous studies have assessed the efficacy of phage-based methods to inhibit Salmonella contamination in food products. As with most antibacterials, bacteria can develop resistance to phage in vitro. Here, we applied a single broad-spectrum Salmonella phage, vB_SalS_SJ_2 (SJ2; 108 PFU; MOI = 10), to Salmonella-contaminated meat and eggs to quantify the development of resistance in actual food matrices. Treatment with a single phage significantly reduced Salmonella Typhimurium contamination in both ground pork and liquid egg at various time points. Similarly, the same phage significantly reduced Salmonella Enteritidis in both food matrices. Efficacy was temperature dependent as larger reductions were seen at higher temperatures (21°C) versus lower temperatures (4°C) at 24 h. Following phage treatment, over 10,000 Salmonella isolates were examined for resistance to the treatment phage. The percentages of phage-resistant Salmonella (either serovar) recovered from phage-treated versus untreated pork did not differ. Conversely, significantly (p < 0.05) higher percentages of phage-resistant Salmonella Typhimurium (92.50% vs. 0.56% of control) and Salmonella Enteritidis (50.83% vs. 0.56% of control) isolates were observed in phage-treated versus untreated egg samples after incubation at room temperature for 48 h. Taken together, these data indicate that the food matrix may influence the emergence of phage resistance with resistance developing more rapidly in foods with less complex microbial communities. Future studies will focus on the impact the development of resistance in production and processing settings may have on the efficacy of phage treatments for longer term biocontrol of pathogens.

A livelihood intervention to improve economic and psychosocial well-being in rural Uganda: Longitudinal pilot study.

HIV and poverty are inextricably intertwined in sub-Saharan Africa. Economic and livelihood intervention strategies have been suggested to help mitigate the adverse economic effects of HIV, but few intervention studies have focused specifically on HIV-positive persons. We conducted three pilot studies to assess a livelihood intervention consisting of an initial orientation and loan package of chickens and associated implements to create poultry microenterprises. We enrolled 15 HIV-positive and 22 HIV-negative participants and followed them for up to 18 months. Over the course of follow-up, participants achieved high chicken survival and loan repayment rates. Median monthly income increased, and severe food insecurity declined, although these changes were not statistically significant (P-values ranged from 0.11 to 0.68). In-depth interviews with a purposive sample of three HIV-positive participants identified a constellation of economic and psychosocial benefits, including improved social integration and reduced stigma.

Developing logistic regression models using purchase attributes and demographics to predict the probability of purchases of regular and specialty eggs.

Consumers' interest in specialty eggs appears to be growing in Europe and North America. The objective of this research was to develop logistic regression models that utilise purchaser attributes and demographics to predict the probability of a consumer purchasing a specific type of table egg including regular (white and brown), non-caged (free-run, free-range and organic) or nutrient-enhanced eggs. These purchase prediction models, together with the purchasers' attributes, can be used to assess market opportunities of different egg types specifically in British Columbia (BC). An online survey was used to gather data for the models. A total of 702 completed questionnaires were submitted by BC residents. Selected independent variables included in the logistic regression to develop models for different egg types to predict the probability of a consumer purchasing a specific type of table egg. The variables used in the model accounted for 54% and 49% of variances in the purchase of regular and non-caged eggs, respectively. Research results indicate that consumers of different egg types exhibit a set of unique and statistically significant characteristics and/or demographics. For example, consumers of regular eggs were less educated, older, price sensitive, major chain store buyers, and store flyer users, and had lower awareness about different types of eggs and less concern regarding animal welfare issues. However, most of the non-caged egg consumers were less concerned about price, had higher awareness about different types of table eggs, purchased their eggs from local/organic grocery stores, farm gates or farmers markets, and they were more concerned about care and feeding of hens compared to consumers of other eggs types.

Neurofunctional correlates of ethical, food-related decision-making.

For consumers today, the perceived ethicality of a food's production method can be as important a purchasing consideration as its price. Still, few studies have examined how, neurofunctionally, consumers are making ethical, food-related decisions. We examined how consumers' ethical concern about a food's production method may relate to how, neurofunctionally, they make decisions whether to purchase that food. Forty-six participants completed a measure of the extent to which they took ethical concern into consideration when making food-related decisions. They then underwent a series of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans while performing a food-related decision-making (FRDM) task. During this task, they made 56 decisions whether to purchase a food based on either its price (i.e., high or low, the "price condition") or production method (i.e., with or without the use of cages, the "production method condition"), but not both. For 23 randomly selected participants, we performed an exploratory, whole-brain correlation between ethical concern and differential neurofunctional activity in the price and production method conditions. Ethical concern correlated negatively and significantly with differential neurofunctional activity in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). For the remaining 23 participants, we performed a confirmatory, region-of-interest (ROI) correlation between the same variables, using an 8-mm3 volume situated in the left dlPFC. Again, the variables correlated negatively and significantly. This suggests, when making ethical, food-related decisions, the more consumers take ethical concern into consideration, the less they may rely on neurofunctional activity in the left dlPFC, possibly because making these decisions is more routine for them, and therefore a more perfunctory process requiring fewer cognitive resources.

Red and processed meat consumption and purchasing behaviours and attitudes: impacts for human health, animal welfare and environmental sustainability.

OBJECTIVE: Higher intakes of red and processed meat are associated with poorer health outcomes and negative environmental impacts. Drawing upon a population survey the present paper investigates meat consumption behaviours, exploring perceived impacts for human health, animal welfare and the environment. DESIGN: Structured self-completion postal survey relating to red and processed meat, capturing data on attitudes, sustainable meat purchasing behaviour, red and processed meat intake, plus sociodemographic characteristics of respondents. SETTING: Urban and rural districts of Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, UK, drawn from the electoral register. SUBJECTS: UK adults (n 842) aged 18-91 years, 497 females and 345 males, representing a 35·6 % response rate from 2500 randomly selected residents. RESULTS: Women were significantly more likely (P60 years) were more likely to hold positive attitudes towards animal welfare (P<0·01). Less than a fifth (18·4 %) of the sample agreed that the impact of climate change could be reduced by consuming less meat, dairy products and eggs. Positive attitudes towards animal welfare were associated with consuming less meat and a greater frequency of 'higher welfare' meat purchases. CONCLUSIONS: Human health and animal welfare are more common motivations to avoid red and processed meat than environmental sustainability. Policy makers, nutritionists and health professionals need to increase the public's awareness of the environmental impact of eating red and processed meat. A first step could be to ensure that dietary guidelines integrate the nutritional, animal welfare and environmental components of sustainable diets.

Effects of feeding diets varying in energy and nutrient density to Hy-Line W-36 laying hens on production performance and economics.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of feeding 5 different energy and nutrient dense diets to Hy-Line W-36 hens on long-term performance and economics. A total of 480 19 wk old Hy-Line W-36 Single Comb White Leghorn hens were weighed and randomly allocated to 6 replicate groups of 16 hens each (2 adjacent cages containing 8 hens per cage, 60.9×58.4 cm) per dietary treatment in a randomized complete block design. The hens were fed 5 treatment diets formulated to contain 85, 90, 95, 100, and 105% of the energy and nutrient recommendations stated in the 2009 Hy-Line Variety W-36 Commercial Management Guide. Production performance was measured for 52 wk from 19 to 70 wk age. Over the course of the trial, a significant increasing linear response to increasing energy and nutrient density was seen for hen-day egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed efficiency, energy intake, and body weight (BW). Feed intake showed no significant linear level response to increasing energy and nutrient density except during the early production cycle. No consistent responses were noted for egg quality, percent yolk, and percent egg solids throughout the study. Significant linear responses due to energy and nutrient density were seen for egg income, feed cost, and income minus feed cost. In general, as energy and nutrient density increased, egg income and feed cost per hen increased, but income minus feed cost decreased. Overall, these results indicate that feeding Hy-Line W-36 hens increasing energy and nutrient-dense diets will increase egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed efficiency, energy intake, BW, egg income, and feed cost, but decrease egg income minus feed cost. However, these benefits do not take effect in early production and seem to be most effective in later stages of the production cycle, perhaps "priming" the birds for better egg-production persistency with age.

Effects of housing system on the costs of commercial egg production.

This article reports the first publicly available egg production costs compared across 3 hen-housing systems. We collected detailed data from 2 flock cycles from a commercial egg farm operating a conventional barn, an aviary, and an enriched colony system at the same location. The farm employed the same operational and accounting procedures for each housing system. Results provide clear evidence that egg production costs are much higher for the aviary system than the other 2 housing systems. Feed costs per dozen eggs are somewhat higher for the aviary and lower for the enriched house compared with the conventional house. Labor costs are much lower for the conventional house than the other 2, and pullet costs are much higher for the aviary. Energy and miscellaneous costs are a minimal part of total operating costs and do not differ by housing system. Total capital investments per hen-capacity are much higher for the aviary and the enriched house. Capital costs per dozen eggs depend on assumptions about appropriate interest and depreciation rates. Using the same 10% rate for each housing system shows capital costs per dozen for the aviary and the enriched housing system are much higher than capital costs per dozen for the conventional house. The aviary has average operating costs (feed, labor, pullet, energy, and miscellaneous costs that recur for each flock and vary with egg production) about 23% higher and average total costs about 36% higher compared with the conventional house. The enriched housing system has average operating costs only about 4% higher compared with the conventional house, but average total costs are 13% higher than for the conventional house.

Species and hybrid identification of sturgeon caviar: a new molecular approach to detect illegal trade.

Overexploitation of wild populations due to the high economic value of caviar has driven sturgeons to near extinction. The high prices commanded by caviar on world markets have made it a magnet for illegal and fraudulent caviar trade, often involving low-value farmed caviar being sold as top-quality caviar. We present a new molecular approach for the identification of pure sturgeon species and hybrids that are among the most commercialized species in Europe and North America. Our test is based on the discovery of species-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ribosomal protein S7, supplemented with the Vimentin gene and the mitochondrial D-loop. Test validations performed in 702 specimens of target and nontarget sturgeon species demonstrated a 100% identification success for Acipenser naccarii, A. fulvescens, A. stellatus, A. sinensis and A. transmontanus. In addition to species identification, our approach allows the identification of Bester and AL hybrids, two of the most economically important hybrids in the world, with 80% and 100% success, respectively. Moreover, the approach has the potential to identify many other existing sturgeon hybrids. The development of a standardized sturgeon identification tool will directly benefit trade law enforcement, providing the tools to monitor and regulate the legal trade of caviar and protect sturgeon stocks from illicit producers and traders, hence contributing to safeguarding this group of heavily threatened species.