Seafood is vulnerable to mislabeling due to complex global supply chains, varying prices, and the similar appearance of species. While numerous studies have been published on seafood mislabeling, the focus is often on species known to be commonly substituted. Therefore, the overall mislabeling rates of seafood sold in the U.S. remain unknown, especially for the most consumed species. The objective of the current study was to compile the results of seafood mislabeling studies into a single resource to provide informative statistics on U.S. seafood mislabeling. A meta-analysis was conducted on U.S. seafood mislabeling studies that tested commercial samples of bony fish (Osteichthyes) and shellfish from 2010 to 2023. A total of 35 studies, including 4,179 samples from 32 U.S. states, were analyzed. The overall mislabeling rate was 39.1%, with the majority (60.9%) of samples correctly labeled. Species substitution was observed in 26.2% of samples, followed by unacceptable market names (17.1%) and conflicting market names (1.1%). The sum of the rates for individual mislabeling categories is greater than the overall rate because some samples were assigned to multiple categories. The top 10 consumed seafoods reported by the National Fisheries Institute for 2021 had a mislabeling rate of 31.0%, compared to 53.0% for the most frequently investigated species. The species substitution rate for the top 10 consumed seafoods was 13.9%, compared to 42.5% for frequently investigated species. The results of this investigation provide comprehensive information on seafood mislabeling in the U.S., with the potential to influence policy decisions and inform outreach efforts.

Given the growing global demand for seafood, it is imperative to conduct a comprehensive study on the prevalence and persistence patterns of pathogenic bacteria and viruses associated with specific seafood varieties. This assessment thoroughly examines the safety of seafood products, considering the diverse processing methods employed in the industry. The importance of understanding the behavior of foodborne pathogens, such as Salmonella typhimurium, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Clostridium botulinum, Listeria monocytogenes, human norovirus, and hepatitis A virus, is emphasized by recent cases of gastroenteritis outbreaks linked to contaminated seafood. This analysis examines outbreaks linked to seafood in the United States and globally, with a particular emphasis on the health concerns posed by pathogenic bacteria and viruses to consumers. Ensuring the safety of seafood is crucial since it directly relates to consumer preferences on sustainability, food safety, provenance, and availability. The review focuses on assessing the frequency, growth, and durability of infections that arise during the processing of seafood. It utilizes next-generation sequencing to identify the bacteria responsible for these illnesses. Additionally, it analyzes methods for preventing and intervening of infections while also considering the forthcoming challenges in ensuring the microbiological safety of seafood products. This evaluation emphasizes the significance of the seafood processing industry in promptly responding to evolving consumer preferences by offering current information on seafood hazards and future consumption patterns. To ensure the continuous safety and sustainable future of seafood products, it is crucial to identify and address possible threats.

Pacific whiting (PW) is an inexpensive, protease rich fish which makes it an excellent candidate as a source for fish sauce. However, fish sauce fermentation requires elevated ambient temperatures (20-35 degrees C) for 12-18 mo. Ambient temperature where PW is harvested ranges from 1 to 20 degrees C and therefore external heating would be required. To make fish sauce from PW economically feasible, both accelerated fermentation and a heat process that is not energy intensive would be required. Ohmic heating is an alternative heating process that uses less energy than conventional heating. This project evaluated fish sauce produced using step-wise thermal treatments with conventional indirect heating (water bath) or alternative direct heating (ohmic). Three parts whole PW was comminuted with 1 part salt then fermented using a step-wise thermal treatment protocol to target endogenous protease activity optimums: 25 degrees C, 1 wk; 35 degrees C, 1 wk; 55 degrees C, 6 wk. Ohmic heated samples had significantly higher brownness, taste value, and overall nitrogen content (p < 0.05). The difference was hypothesized to be due to electroporation and consistent heat. This study discovered that ohmic heating can be utilized for Pacific whiting fish sauce production as it not only provides heat cost effectively, but also significantly accelerates fermentation quality factors.

Fish production is one of the most important solutions to tackle the great challenges of the 21st century, such as how to feed people in the context of a growing population. However, pathogens such as bacteria, including antimicrobial-resistant populations and viruses, can be present in the water column and fish (also including shellfish) threatening food security and public health. Pathogens can be transferred from human settlements, cropping systems, livestock systems, animal slaughtering and processing industries, and from other sources of human and animal activity, into the aquatic environment and contaminate fish. Fish contamination can be also continued in harvesting, handling, packaging, processing, and distribution, because of poor hygiene or sanitary practices in the post-farm gate. Such pathogens can end up in humans through the food value chain and fall ill after eating contaminated fish. Several pathogenic strains, serotypes or serovars of Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella enterica, Aeromonas sp., Listeria monocytogenes, and Clostridium botulinum are responsible for thousands of cases and deaths associated with fish consumption around the globe. Of them, Vibrio, Salmonella, Aeromonas, and L. monocytogenes isolated from farmed fish, have been found to present antibiotic resistance to various antimicrobial agents. Researchers can now detect such pathogenic bacteria using cutting-edge methodologies for example, conventional PCR, Real-Time PCR, High-Resolution Melting, and technologies such as Next Generation Sequencing. Such innovations have immensely contributed to our understanding of how to solve problems of stakeholders related to seafood safety, minimize hazard related issues, and tackle food and economic losses in pre- and post- fish farm gate, thereby providing products of the highest safety in the world.

Welcome to the second edition of the JAFPT for 2021. The articles in this edition reflect the global nature of this journal with submissions from countries within the boundaries of Asia to the far ...

Real-time quality determination in seafood seems to be the pot of gold many a seafood researcher has spent time trying to achieve. Amazingly, current best practices still rely on human determination of decomposition or quality of seafood using either odor, taste, or visual sensory cues. However, as technology continually pushes the boundary of what is achievable, the complex problem of quantitating quality in fish using real-time measurement is coming tantalizingly closer to a reality. Many of the approaches are not new, but our ability to rapidly capture and interpret incredibly large amounts of data, using cloud-based data-storage and analysis, machine learning and neural network generated models is providing scientist with the opportunity to revisit what these older technologies can achieve when applied in tandem with modern day computing and software technology. In this edition of JAFPT, there are two examples of renewed efforts in this area of inquiry. One paper is re-assessing the ability of color assessment to predict quality. Instead of using the limited field color evaluation we are all familiar with, they are using a machine vision system to take color assessments of the image of an entire fillet. This large amount of data is then being correlated with changes in chemical and sensory attributes. The other paper uses a biodegradable and recyclable halochromic biosensor to monitor spoilage. You might be asking yourself, what is a halochromic biosensor? I had to look it up myself. Essentially, it is a material that changes color due to changes in pH. The biosensor used is from a natural source: red cabbage! The intent of the researchers was to develop a natural-sensor that could be packaged with fish to give visual cue of spoilage while still in the packaging material. Both papers demonstrate how a new approach to using technology can result in achievements that were not possible a decade ago. We hope you enjoy reading this edition of JAFPT.

In this issue of JAFPT, we have a paper looking at the potential of using electrical immobilization technology for quality improvement of cod, saithe, and haddock harvested by fishing vessels. All ...

High pressure processing (HPP) at ultra-low temperatures was conducted against Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica in frozen pink salmon fillets. Quality changes, such as drip loss, color and odor attributes were recorded in non-inoculated pollock, pink salmon and tuna fillets. Pressures at 250 and 400 MPa were applied from 0.5 to 10 min. Reductions up to 3.5 log cfu/g were recorded for the treatments performed at -32 degrees C, in contrast to -50 degrees C where the reductions were only up to 1.5 log cfu/g. Higher pressure did not cause higher reduction. It was apparent that the main factor contributing to the bacterial inactivation is the phase transition of ice structure from I to III, in contrast to transition from I to II. Drip loss was not higher than the expected with HPP at temperatures above 0 degrees C, while color changes were negligible. Finally, the odor evaluation did not exhibit considerable differences between untreated and treated samples. Industrial relevance: High pressure processing at ultra-low temperatures is a promising treatment for bacterial inactivation and retention of quality attributes of frozen fish. Treatment at 250 MPa for only 3 min at temperatures just below -22 degrees C, which is feasible and affordable, caused a more than 3-log reduction against Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica, without affecting considerably the quality properties. Thus, the application of low pressure and shorter processing times gives a great potential for industrial application for frozen fish or fish that wouldn't be undesirable to freeze before pressurization.

Have you ever thought about the muscle structure of cephaplopods and how it differs from other fish and their terrestrial counterparts? I have from a consumer perspective, but I have to admit I hav...

In this issue of the Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology, we see papers focused on finding value in unlikely resources. Papers from this issue evaluate the enzymes and their activities from ...

This commentary is not so much about the papers in this journal issue but about the paradigm change we are all now experiencing in real time. This is my 6th week working from home. My forays into t...

In this issue of the Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology, we see papers focused on the impact of processing steps, storage, and final cook preparation on the quality of seafood. The conseque...

If you have visited the Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology website this summer, you might notice that the impact factor (IF) for JAFPT has made quite a substantive leap to 1.020! This is ne...

I recently attended my first International Association of Food Protection (IAFP) Conference in Louisville, KY. I was very impressed with the conference, especially since there were so many good presentations and papers focused on the safety of aquatic food products. One of the highlights for me at the conference was the outbreak updates from state public health agencies. I was a little disconcerted to find out, when I read through the agenda, that there was not one, but two presentations on two separate multi-state outbreaks involving Vibrio parahaemolyticus in cooked lump crab meat. One outbreak started in Florida with product sourced from Mexico, and the other occurred primarily in Maryland with product sourced from Venezuela. Luckily, no deaths were involved; unluckily, investigation at the source where post-cook contamination was assumed to have occurred was not possible. Despite our advances in technology, it seems we still are unable to cross the communication barrier between agencies, especially those existing in different countries. How much more useful (and satisfying) would it have been to know how a cooked crab meat product could have possibly been contaminated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Was it from a contaminated water/ice source? Poor worker hygiene and sanitation practices? Improper cooking temperature? A combination of failures? Were these two incidents in any way connected? We know each processing facility had to have implemented Seafood HACCP in order to provide the product to the United States. Yet, even with a food safety plan in place, a food safety outbreak still occurred, twice, in what I would have previously said was a very unlikely source for a Vibrio parahaemolyticus outbreak. It just goes to show that having a food safety plan is not the same as having a properly implemented food safety plan. I’m looking forward to next year’s conference, and I am hoping these two outbreaks were anomalies and not harbingers.

This volume has an eclectic mixture of articles. They include studies to extend shelf-life using natural antimicrobials derived from plants or seafood-based hydrolysates, articles that focus on cha...

This issue of the Journal of Aquatic Food Product Technology has several papers focused on enhancing the utilization of recovered seafood by-products. Two of these papers look at the use of enzymes...