Identification of Fish Species and Targeted Genetic Modifications Based on DNA Analysis: State of the Art

Abstract

Food adulteration is one of the most serious problems regarding food safety and quality worldwide. Besides misleading consumers, it poses a considerable health risk associated with the potential non-labeled allergen content. Fish and fish products are one of the most expensive and widely traded commodities, which predisposes them to being adulterated. Among all fraud types, replacing high-quality or rare fish with a less valuable species predominates. Because fish differ in their allergen content, specifically the main one, parvalbumin, their replacement can endanger consumers. This underlines the need for reliable, robust control systems for fish species identification. Various methods may be used for the aforementioned purpose. DNA-based methods are favored due to the characteristics of the target molecule, DNA, which is heat resistant, and the fact that through its sequencing, several other traits, including the recognition of genetic modifications, can be determined. Thus, they are considered to be powerful tools for identifying cases of food fraud. In this review, the major DNA-based methods applicable for fish meat and product authentication and their commercial applications are discussed, the possibilities of detecting genetic modifications in fish are evaluated, and future trends are highlighted, emphasizing the need for comprehensive and regularly updated online database resources.

Integrated morphometric and molecular approaches to screen hybrid from wild Labeo rohita and Catla catla parent populations

“…Further statistical analysis by Clustering methods based again on morphometric and meristic traits segregated the shes into three distinct categories, which rati ed the genealogical differentiation further. Presently several mitochondrial and nuclear markers, are used for sh species identi cation especially considering both mitochondrial and nuclear sequences are more advantageous than using only one of these markers as population genetics theory admits that mitochondrial DNA evolves four times faster than the average nuclear gene [22].…”

The role of ecogenomics in environmental and forensic discoveries

“…Ecogenomics can be used to study the impact of habitat degradation on fish and bird populations. By analyzing the genomic data of different fish species, researchers can identify genetic variations that are associated with their ability to adapt to degraded habitats, such as polluted waters or reduced food availability (Cermakova et al, 2023;Hamilton et al, 2016;Wu et al, 2021;Hohenlohe et al, 2021). This information can help in understanding which fish populations are more resilient to habitat degradation and can guide conservation efforts to restore and protect their habitats.…”

Nucleic Acids Persistence—Benefits and Limitations in Forensic Genetics

“…Despite DNA being contained in a cell, exposing tissues to the external environment will eventually physically break down the DNA strands and change its chemical structure. These changes can lead to incorrect nitrogen base pairing and the misidentification of species or individuals [ 29 ]. The most common forms of damage observed are two complementary groups of transitions: type 1 (adenine → guanine or thymine → cytosine) and type 2 (cytosine → thymine or guanine → adenine) [ 30 ].…”

“…The most common forms of damage observed are two complementary groups of transitions: type 1 (adenine → guanine or thymine → cytosine) and type 2 (cytosine → thymine or guanine → adenine) [ 30 ]. Thus, the knowledge of the sequence of successive events is very important [ 29 ], and it is extremely important to learn about the degradation mechanisms of individual evidence materials occurring in the presence of harmful factors [ 31 ].…”