Species authentication of canned mackerel: Challenges in molecular identification and potential drivers of mislabelling

A Fast and Simple DNA Mini-barcoding and RPA Assay Coupled with Lateral Flow Assay for Fresh and Canned Mackerel Authentication

“…Moreover, another labelling issue is related to the interchange of the two species S. colias and S. japonicus . Despite being two different species, as one inhabits the Atlantic/Mediterranean Sea ( S. colias ) and the other the Pacific Ocean ( S. japonicus ), both of these are accepted and sold under the same vernacular name ‘Lanzardo o Sgombro Occhione’ (Mottola et al 2022 ). The old scientific name indeed was S. japonicus-colias , but only recent studies recognised the taxa as two allopatric species.…”

“…This lack of information could be misleading for consumers and encourage misidentification processes and fraud. Canned seafood products such as tuna, salmon, anchovies and mackerel are the most widely consumed fish products across the world due to their practicality of storage and consumption (Mottola et al 2022 ). The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the European consumption of canned fish, and the sales of these food items boomed during the lockdown period in Europe, particularly in Southern European nations such as Spain, France and Italy.…”

“…Although tuna is the bestselling canned product, mackerel ( Scomber spp.) is an emerging alternative (conserved in brine, olive or vegetable oil) due to its (reduced o) lower costs and its increasing use in the seafood market (Mottola et al 2022 ). From a taxonomic point of view, the genus of mackerel is composed offour different species, namely S. scombrus (Linnaeus, 1758 ), S. japonicus (Houttuyn, 1782 ), S. colias (Gmelin, 1789 ) and S. australasicus (Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1832 ).…”

“…To identify the species of canned mackerel products, a new primer pair was de novo designed on the 5S rRNA gene and non-transcribed spacer (NTS), identifying a DNA mini-barcoding region suitable for transformed and processed commercial products. 5S rRNA gene and non-transcribed spacer (NTS) werechosen because for mackerel identification the COI fragment is not able to provide an unambiguous identification at species level (Mottola et al 2022 ).…”

DNA metabarcoding for identification of species used in fish burgers

“…As widely reported by several authors (D’Amico et al , 2016 ; Walker et al , 2017 ; Marchetti et al , 2020 ; Piredda et al , 2022 ), the absence of morphological identification characters, together with the complexity of the fish supply chain, as well as the price differential between lookalike species, and the multiplicity of species and their corresponding values, make processed fishery products very vulnerable to food fraud and mislabelling (Pardo et al, 2016 ; FAO, 2020b , Mottola et al , 2022 ). To date, food labelling is the most important instrument for safeguarding consumer safety and should prevent fraud and provide consumers with sufficient information to perform conscious food choices in terms of ethical and sustainable production (Varunjikar et al , 2022 ).…”