The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched a five-year research project that will use nuclear and related technologies to strengthen participating countries’ ability to detect and prevent seafood fraud.
According to IAEA, seafood consumption per capita has nearly doubled since the 1960s and is projected to double again by 2050, increasing the need to reduce seafood fraud now and protect fair trade practices.
Through this project, the agency plans to reduce such forms of seafood fraud as substitution of higher-value species with cheaper alternatives, which can expose consumers to allergens, toxins, parasites, or pathogens that can lead to life-threatening foodborne diseases; mislabeling origin or harvest areas, which can expose consumers to seafood caught or farmed in polluted waters; marketing previously frozen fish as fresh, which can increase microbiological risks or even trigger severe allergic reactions due to histamine build-up; selling farmed fish as wild-caught; and using unauthorized or undeclared additives.
“There is incentive to sell low-value fish in place of more popular and expensive species for economic gain. Such species substitution and mislabeling is the most recurrent form of fish fraud, but substitution can also take place accidentally,” IAEA said. “With this project, we will enable [participating nations] to develop fit-for-purpose analytical methods and establish databases based on findings from the use of nuclear techniques to detect the seafood fraud issues that are of the most relevance to domestic and export markets and for prioritized fish/seafood species.”
To mitigate seafood fraud, the project, titled “Seafood Origin and Authenticity using Nuclear and Related Technologies,” aims to develop reference databases of isotopic and molecular “fingerprints” for various seafood products. These databases will then support digital food traceability systems used by participating countries to detect fraudulent seafood.
“These methods and databases will provide tailor-made solutions for monitoring and controlling seafood authenticity and origin. Any existing databases will be expanded and maintained,” IAEA said.
Each database will be unique to the individual participating nation, as different regions around the world have slightly different ratios of stable isotopes, such as oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur, in their waters and food chains. Seafood absorbs these isotopes with unique ratios, and the subtle differences create a chemical “fingerprint” that scientists use to determine geographic origin.
Organic molecules like proteins, lipids, and metabolites can reveal how seafood was processed and whether it was farmed or wild-caught.
To reveal the origin of seafood, how it was processed, and more, IAEA experts can use different techniques with nuclear technology.
For instance, stable isotope ratio analysis can determine the geographic origin of seafood by measuring the ratio of the light elements that reflect the environmental conditions in which seafood originates.
Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy can detect additives, differentiate species, and uncover whether a fish was previously frozen. The IAEA team can examine a sample of the seafood tissue in a magnetic field to analyze the signals emitted by its atoms, revealing the chemical makeup.
High-resolution mass spectrometry analyzes the proteins, small molecules, and fats of a fish to generate molecular fingerprints to detect food safety hazards and verify labeling. By examining the mass and charge of molecules, researchers can find contaminants like heavy metals, illegal additives, and spoilage markers. This method can determine if seafood has been frozen and thawed.
“The turnaround time for testing depends on the analytical technique applied and the necessary sample preparation procedure and handling of the analytical results. For some confirmatory techniques, the turnaround time might be one to two days. The project will explore ways to speed up testing for practical use,” IAEA said.
According to IAEA, participating nations will receive access to technology, technical advice, and training support, and the project will also provide networking opportunities and funding to support further research.
Upon completion, IAEA intends for the project results to be made available free of charge to scientists, engineers, and other users across participating nations.
“While observing this principle, databases will remain accessible to the participating countries and shared with other countries, but their curation and availability will be considered very carefully. The curation is to ensure that the results remain valid over time. Also, comparability of data will need to be addressed. Availability of databases among multiple parties must be considered and agreed very carefully, and a gatekeeper system is of utmost importance to avoid the manipulation of the open data for fraudulent purposes,” IAEA said.
By participating, countries will be equipped to align with national seafood-labeling regulations, IAEA said. Other benefits of participating, according to IAEA, include developing and validating fit-for-purpose analytical methods, establishing protocols for sampling and preparations, and generating new data to address knowledge gaps in fraud detection.
The project was launched through the IAEA’s Department of Nuclear Science and Applications and the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/IAEA Center of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. It also follows the launch of a four-year coordinated research project to study microplastics in seafood, which the agency rolled out last year.
