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Abstract
Background and Aims. Molecular markers have contributed to species authentication by flagging mislabeling and the misidentification of commercial landings. Such tools are of great value since the market substitution of fish of lower value for highly commercialized species is expected to become more pronounced due to a shortage of natural stocks.
Materials and Methods. Here we report on the molecular identification 4results from processed fish products (i.e. fillets) and whole fishes sold in Brazilian markets under the common name surubim (Pseudoplatystoma spp.).
Results. DNA barcoding revealed the incorrect labeling of around 80% of all samples analyzed, with mislabeling being more pronounced within fillets rather than whole fish.
Conclusion. To our knowledge, this is the first report correlating the rate of fraud with processed fish products. The establishment of an official list of acceptable common names for freshwater fish and seafood is urgently needed in Brazil for further trade regulations to take place.
Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to José Vanderval Melo Junior and Arno Soares Seerig for helping with the collection of fish to all personnel of the Laboratory of Animal Genetics at UFMG Veterinary College for their assistance and to Shannon Loughnan and Sven Becker for their comments on the manuscript. This study was supported by CNPq/FAPEMIG (INCT 573899/2008-8) and Instituto Estadual de Florestas. D.C.C. is also grateful to CNPq for the PDJ fellowship (150420/2009-9) and CAPES postdoctoral fellowship (#4095-09-0).
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.