Market-oriented product development of novel sustainably sourced seafood product concepts: consumers' preferences for a different kettle of fish cake

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to utilise market-oriented methodologies to determine key attributes driving consumers' preferences for novel sustainably sourced seafood concepts, derived from a species of wild-caught fish unfamiliar to consumers and to explore new product concepts for various consumer clusters.Design/methodology/approachThis study applied a mixed-method approach including five focus groups with 40 consumers and a single conjoint-based questionnaire administered to 300 seafood consumers in Ireland. The focus groups explored in-depth consumers' expectations, requirements and preferences and identified the key attributes that would influence acceptance of new seafood products. Full-profile conjoint analysis was used to model consumers' preferences for novel seafood product concepts that utilised a sustainably sourced species unfamiliar to the consumer.FindingsFocus groups revealed that the most important attributes were brand, price, format, packaging, supplementary information and accompaniment. The conjoint simulation identified three consumer clusters. Product concepts containing a sustainably sourced fish species were identified according to the preferences of each consumer cluster.Originality/valueThis research highlighted a sustainability angle in new product development and identified a competitive advantage and market potential for boarfish (Capros aper), which is an underutilised Irish fish species. It used a market-oriented approach to explore the development of novel sustainably sourced value-added seafood product concepts. The study results provide small and medium seafood companies with original and unique insights for developing novel sustainably sourced fish products that increase consumer acceptance.

Advancing traceability using DNA sequence on seafood product: fraudulence in shrimp crackers

Nurilmala M, Atjitama Y, Jacob AM, Indarwati AR, Nugraha R. 2020. Advancing traceability using DNA sequence on seafood product: fraudulence in shrimp crackers. Biodiversitas 21: 5650-5656. Shrimp crackers are snacks made from starch with the addition of shrimp and other ingredients. Authentication of shrimp crackers becomes a quality control method in line with its traceability since the morphological characters are not recognized in those products. The failure of the authentication will lead to adulteration of shrimp products. The study aimed to design shrimp-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers by and used them to authenticate shrimp cracker products to assure their traceability. The primers were designed from cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene with a GC content of 50% and a melting temperature of 57 °C. The amplicon had a length of 613 bp. Fourteen shrimp crackers having DNA concentrations 0.3 to 8.1 ng/µL were evaluated. Eight out of fourteen DNA samples were successfully amplified using the specific primer and could be visualized on the agarose gel at 500-750 bp. Those DNA samples were identified belonging to shrimp species, namely Litopenaeus vannamei, Metapenaeus ensis, and Fenneropenaeus merguiensis with 95% to 100% identity. Meanwhile, the other six DNA samples underwent PCR using universal primers. One sample was amplified and identified as fish (Sphyraena flavicauda). These results indicate illegal substitution of shrimp using unidentified species occurred in shrimp crackers.

Molecular Characterization of Clistobothrium sp. Viable Plerocercoids in Fresh Longfin Inshore Squid (Doryteuthis pealeii) and Implications for Cephalopod Inspection

Cephalopods, an appreciated seafood product, are common hosts of marine cestodes. The aim of this work is to report visible alive plerocercoids in longfin inshore squid (Doryteuthis pealeii), a cephalopod species commercialized as fresh and whole in Italy. Seventy D. pealeii from the Northwest Atlantic (FAO area 21) were collected and visually inspected. In total, 18 plerocercoid larvae were found in the viscera of 10 host specimens (P: 14.3% 95% CI 7.1–24.7; MI: 1.8, MA: 0.26; range 1–4) and molecularly analyzed targeting the variable D2 region of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene and the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The molecular characterization allowed to identify all the plerocercoids as Clistobothrium sp., a cestode of the Phyllobothriidae family with Lamnidae sharks as definitive hosts, and cephalopods as second intermediate hosts. These findings represent the first molecular record of Clistobothrium sp. in D. pealeii, thus contributing to elucidate its poorly known life cycle. Even if not affecting consumer’s health, these visible parasites may represent a reason for disgust for consumers. Therefore, the results suggest that Food Business Operators should also check for the presence of these visible parasites during inspection and underline the importance of a correct consumers’ education.

Ciguatoxin-like toxin in mackerel Acanthocybium soladria in Vietnam

Two processed mackerel products were sent to VAST keylab on “Food and Environmental Safety” in Institute of Oceanography for Ciguatoxin criteria as exported seafood requirement. The specimens were caught from offshore region of Vietnam South-Eastern sea in April 2019. By DNA sequencing of COI gene, both specimens were identified as Acanthocybium solandri, one of high commercial mackerel species which is well-known to be distributed in Central and South-Eastern sea of Vietnam. In mouse bioassay, both extracts from 2 samples exhibited acute toxicity, which killed tested mice within 6 and 15 hours after i.p. injection. In SIM LC/MS-MS analysis, the extracts showed the peak with retention time closed to that in CTX-1B standard in both cases of optimized and non-optimized solid phases. The result suggested that at least there was occurrence of CTX-like toxin in these mackerel specimens. The equivalent toxin levels were estimated as 0.51 ng/g and 0.84 ng/g; 5 and 8 times higher than regulation limit for CTXs in seafood product (0.1 ng CTX-1B/g). Further verification is in progress to confirm toxin in these mackerel samples in Vietnam. However, this data is the first alert on potential poisoning by consumption of mackerel, not only in Vietnam but also in Asia.