DIAG4ZOO was recently retained by a food manufacturer to verify the traceability of the products purchased and confirm that the species of tuna ordered corresponded to the product delivered
Montpellier, April 26th 2021
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), “tuna catches of all species reached their highest level in 2018, with about 7.9 million tons of fish caught.”
However, depending on the species of tuna (Thunnus thynnus, Thunnus albacares or Thunnus obesus), its consumption pattern is different and its economic value is more or less high. For example, a bluefin tuna weighing 208 kilos was sold at 165.00 euros at an auction in Japan in January 2021.
Therefore, the correct identification of each of these species represents an important economic issue, in case buyers cannot acquire whole fish, but only slices, loins, vacuum-packed or canned products.
In these cases, laboratory analysis is necessary to identify the specie of the product delivered. However, the choice of technologies to perform the diagnosis is conditioned by the close phylogenetic relationship between the different tuna species.
At the request of an industrial company, DIAG4ZOO recently performed genetic analyses by PCR and sequencing to determine which species (T. thynnus, T. albacares and T. obesus) were associated with the samples to be analyzed.
This service confirms the technical and scientific expertise of the Diag4Zoo team and the quality of its engineering to meet the needs of its customers.