Abstract
Country-of-origin violations have occurred in which some merchants have fraudulently sold cheap Japanese yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata) by presenting them as domestic Korean products. There are many methods for determining the origins of marine organisms, such as molecular genetic methods and isotope analysis. However, this study aimed to develop a method for determining the origins of aquatic products using metabolite analysis technology. Ten yellowtail each from Korea and Japan were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis–time of flight/mass spectrometry (CETOF/MS). Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) results showed highly differing aspects between the Korean and Japanese samples. In the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, citric, malic, oxaloglutaric, and fumaric acids exhibited significant differences between Korean and Japanese yellowtail. Sixteen of the twenty essential amino acids analyzed as metabolites also differed significantly. All amino acids were involved in protein digestion, absorption, and metabolism. All 16 amino acid contents were higher in Japanese yellowtail than in Korean yellowtail, except for glutamine. The fasting period was found to be the biggest factor contributing to the difference in amino acid contents, in addition to environmental factors (including feeding habits). These significant differences indicated that metabolomics could be used to determine geographical origin.
Highlights
Yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata) is a species belonging to Carangidae in Perciformes; it is a migratory fish that is widely distributed from the East China Sea to Hokkaido in Japan, including the oceans of Korea [1,2]
Putative metabolites were annotated based on the Human Metabolome Technologies Inc. (HMT) standard library and the known–unknown peak library, referring to mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) and migration time (MT)
Yellowtail fish from two different origins were investigated via metabolomic analysis, which revealed differences between Korean and Japanese yellowtail in the levels of some metabolites, such as malic acid, leucine, proline, tyrosine, serine, and cystathionine
Summary
Yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata) is a species belonging to Carangidae in Perciformes; it is a migratory fish that is widely distributed from the East China Sea to Hokkaido in Japan, including the oceans of Korea [1,2]. It is considered a high-quality fish that is popular in both Korea and Japan; the demand for yellowtail has increased during the last 10 years. In Korea, increased demand for yellowtail in winter leads to fish being imported from Japan. To resolve consumers’ concern regarding the origin of seafood, a scientific method for determining its origin is needed
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