Researchers have developed a sensor capable of detecting fraudulent seafood passed off as more valuable species.
About 30 percent of seafood that enters the U.S. is mislabeled, costing both the seafood industry and consumers between $20 and $25 billion every year, the University of South Florida reported.
The QuadPyre RT-NASBA can inexpensively determine if a fish is a grouper or not. The breakthrough device assays seafood samples using real-time nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (RT-NASBA), the handheld instrument then at purifies and identifies the sample's RNA
"Using the hand-held device, a complete field assay, potentially carried out at the point of purchase, requires fewer than 45 minutes for completion and can be performed entirely outside of the lab," said paper co-author and biological oceanographer John Paul, Distinguished University Professor at the USF College of Marine Science. "Some past assay procedures could take hours, even days to identify samples."
The researchers believe the device is accurate enough to detect grouper substitutions in cooked restaurant portions, even if they are smothered in sauce or coated in breading.
The demand for grouper in the U.S. is strong, and identifying its authenticity can be tricky because there are actually 64 species of fish that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows to be labeled as "grouper." Many of these species are imported, in 2012 alone over 4,000 metric tons of foreign grouper were brought into the U.S.
"Federal and State governments are behind the need to protect U.S. seafood consumers," Paul said. "A bill on seafood safety was recently introduced in the U.S. Congress and work on similar bills is in process in Maryland and Massachusetts. In addition, a multi-agency Presidential Task Force was established in 2014 and has made recommendations to the White House regarding the development of forensics technology for seafood identification."
