Examining Committee
Dr. Donald Mercer, Chair
Dr. Jeffrey Farber, Advisor
Dr. Robert Hanner, Co-Advisor
Dr. Steven Newmaster, Department Member

TITLE: IMPROVING TRACEABILITY AND DETECTION OF FOOD FRAUD: AN EXPLORATION OF CURRENT SEAFOOD AUTHENTICATION METHODS AND VALIDATION OF A NOVEL qPRC MEHTOD FOR COMMERCIAL SPECIES OF FISH (FASTFISH-ID)

ABSTRACT:
Food fraud is a global issue, which not only defrauds the consumer, but presents a food safety risk. With the expansion of the global and international food supply chain, the prevalence of food fraud is expected to rise. Seafood is one of the most adulterated foods due to the vast and complex supply chains. In the past 20 years, 236 original DNA-based assays have been published for the authentication of commercial species of fish. qPCR has been the most researched DNA-based authentication method, followed by DNA sequencing. The target genes cytb (cytochrome b) and COI (cytochrome oxidase 1) are also the most researched in the literature. However, in silico testing on a select set of published assays showed a lack of assay reliability. A total of 77.78% of the tested assays were found to be non-specific. A novel qPCR authentication method called FASTFISH-ID can provide a quick and reliable, first-screening step, in fish authentication.