ANNA MOTTOLA1*, PATRIZIA MARCHETTI1, MARILISA BOTTARO1, ANGELA DI PINTO1
1Department of Veterinary Medicine – University of Bari Aldo Moro – Prov. le Casamassima, km 3 – 70010 Valenzano (Bari) – ITALY
*Corresponding author: annamottola_2006@libero.it
Abstract:
Considering that seafood mislabeling has been widely reported throughout the world and that the authentication of food components is one of the key issues in food quality, the aim of this study was to use DNA barcoding to investigate the prevalence of mislabeling among fresh prepared fishery products from markets and supermarkets located in Apulia (SE Italy). The study reveals a high occurrence of species mislabeling (42%) in the prepared fillet products, further evidence of the need for increased traceability and assessment of the authenticity of food products. Given the increasing demand for transparency in the food industry and the enforcement of proper labeling have provided a driving force for the development of suitable analytical methodologies for species identification. There is therefore a great need to develop fast and reliable methods to identify meat species and to quantify their levels in seafood products, in order to ensure product quality and thus to protect consumers. The study provides further evidence that molecular investigations based on DNA barcoding may be one of the most powerful tools for the assessment of species identity, food traceability, safety and fraud.
Key words: prepared fishery products, species identification, DNA barcoding
