Harvest locations of goose barnacles can be successfully discriminated using trace elemental signatures

Abstract

European Union regulations state that consumers must be rightfully informed about the provenance of fishery products to prevent fraudulent practices. However, mislabeling of the geographical origin is a common practice. It is therefore paramount to develop forensic methods that allow all players involved in the supply chain to accurately trace the origin of seafood. In this study, trace elemental signatures (TES) of the goose barnacle Pollicipes pollicipes, collected from ten sites along the Portuguese coast, were employed to discriminate individual’s origin. Barium (Ba), boron (B), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lithium (Li), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), phosphorous (P), lead (Pb), strontium (Sr) and zinc (Zn) - were quantified using Inductively Coupled Plasma−Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Significant differences were recorded among locations for all elements. A regularized discriminant analysis (RDA) revealed that 83% of all individuals were correctly assigned. This study shows TES can be a reliable tool to confirm the geographic origin of goose barnacles at fine spatial resolution. Although additional studies are required to ascertain the reliability of TES on cooked specimens and the temporal stability of the signature, the approach holds great promise for the management of goose barnacles fisheries, enforcement of conservation policies and assurance in accurate labeling.

Determining the geographical origin of common buckwheat from China by multivariate analysis based on mineral elements, amino acids and vitamins

“…The element analysis is usually considered to be an effective tool, because plants can absorb the mineral elements from the soil and thus there is an association to some extent between the contents of mineral elements in environment and their accumulation degree in crops 17 , 18 . The method of element analysis has been applied for geographical origin assignment of some farm products such as wine 19 , honey 20 , mutton 21 , sheep milk 22 , 23 , Chinese cabbage 24 , 25 , tea 6 , coffee 4 , wheat 26 , 27 , and other crops 28 as well as some aquatic products 29 , 30 with different degrees of success. Besides, some organic compounds or physicochemical parameters (color, diastase activity, electrical conductivity, total antioxidant activity, etc.)…”

Spatio-temporal variability of trace elements fingerprints in cockle (Cerastoderma edule) shells and its relevance for tracing geographic origin

“…Trace element fingerprints (TEF) of bivalve mineral structures (e.g. shells) have been successfully used as natural tags to discriminate specimens from different geographical origin 20 , 21 . TEF variability in the hard mineral structures (e.g.…”

Coping with poachers in European stalked barnacle fisheries: Insights from a stakeholder workshop

“…Genetic methods, such as microsatellites and additional DNA fingerprints [28], which are currently being developed for stalked barnacles, may help trace the origin of confiscated barnacles in the future. The analysis of trace elements in the calcareous shells of the barnacles can identify their geographic origin in a scale of 10 ′ s of kilometers with confidence levels of up to 98% [29]. It is yet to be shown whether those techniques are cost or time beneficial for full-scale deployment.…”