Abstract
IntroductionFish fraud detection is mainly carried out using a genomic profiling approach requiring long and complex sample preparations and assay running times. Rapid evaporative ionisation mass spectrometry (REIMS) can circumvent these issues without sacrificing a loss in the quality of results.ObjectivesTo demonstrate that REIMS can be used as a fast profiling technique capable of achieving accurate species identification without the need for any sample preparation. Additionally, we wanted to demonstrate that other aspects of fish fraud other than speciation are detectable using REIMS.Methods478 samples of five different white fish species were subjected to REIMS analysis using an electrosurgical knife. Each sample was cut 8–12 times with each one lasting 3–5 s and chemometric models were generated based on the mass range m/z 600–950 of each sample.ResultsThe identification of 99 validation samples provided a 98.99% correct classification in which species identification was obtained near-instantaneously (≈ 2 s) unlike any other form of food fraud analysis. Significant time comparisons between REIMS and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were observed when analysing 6 mislabelled samples demonstrating how REIMS can be used as a complimentary technique to detect fish fraud. Additionally, we have demonstrated that the catch method of fish products is capable of detection using REIMS, a concept never previously reported.ConclusionsREIMS has been proven to be an innovative technique to help aid the detection of fish fraud and has the potential to be utilised by fisheries to conduct their own quality control (QC) checks for fast accurate results.
Highlights
Fish fraud detection is mainly carried out using a genomic profiling approach requiring long and complex sample preparations and assay running times
A leave-20%-out cross-validation of the Principal component analysis (PCA)-linear discriminant analysis (LDA) models, where one average spectrum per sample was used resulted in a 99.37% correct classification (Supplementary Information S2) which was due to two samples being assigned an outlier classification and one whiting being identified as coley
Accurate and near-instantaneous results are three properties which the Rapid evaporative ionisation mass spectrometry (REIMS) technology has exemplified in this study and are all three issues which cannot be fulfilled by most analytical platforms used for such fish studies
Summary
Fish fraud detection is mainly carried out using a genomic profiling approach requiring long and complex sample preparations and assay running times. Motivated adulteration (EMA) of seafood products is a global issue occurring at alarmingly high rates (Table 1) with it estimated that on average 30% of commercial fish products sold are either misrepresented or mislabelled (Pardo et al 2016). This equates to fraud in almost $120 billion of the global seafood industry as the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimate the global seafood industry to be worth $400 billion annually, with global industry analysts expecting this value to rise to $430 billion by 2018 This equates to fraud in almost $120 billion of the global seafood industry as the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimate the global seafood industry to be worth $400 billion annually, with global industry analysts expecting this value to rise to $430 billion by 2018 (M&A International INC. 2013).
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