Electrophoretic Methods for Identifying the Species of Seafood and Its Derivatives

Abstract

The identification of the species of seafood and their products, whether they are fresh or cooked, is one of the key concerns of food regulations in many countries that have a significant intake of seafood. In point of fact, a commercial fraud happens when a species that is less value is intentionally substituted for a species that is more valuable, and a sanitary fraud takes place when a product that is potentially harmful is introduced into the market. A primary responsibility of veterinary inspection of seafood products is the detection of harmful species with the aim of removing them from the retail trade (Council Directive 91/493/ECC). Two efficient methods for seafood species identification are molecular biology methods and protein electrophoresis. Classic electrophoretic methods have been used for a long time to authenticate seafood; they are simple, accurate, and inexpensive compared to molecular biological methods, which are the wave of the future in food safety labs. The purpose of this article is to offer an overview of the electrophoretic methods commonly used to identify different species of seafood, including sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE), native or urea-isoelectric focusing electrophoresis (IEF), two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), and capillary electrophoresis (CE).