Traceability of Shrimp Utilizing Trace Elemental Analysis

Globalization of our seafood supply, the lack of international standards, and the numerous reported instances of fraudulent labeling of seafood products has reduced consumer confidence in seafood across the country. In addition, concerns of this rampant mislabeling of seafood products, which could lead to seafood safety issues, have prompted many to look at traceability as a means to track seafood and restore confidence in the seafood supply. "Traceability" is defined as the ability to trace the history, application, or location of a product which is under consideration. While not a new concept, identifying the origin and history of seafood products is difficult. At this time, product recall procedures and mandatory documentation are the only form of product traceability in the U.S. Shrimp has been one of the most popular and most consumed seafood items in the U.S. for many years. Currently, close to 90% of the shrimp marketed and consumed in the U.S. is imported. The primary goal of this project is the development of an analytical tool to provide shrimp traceability efforts a more science based foundation. In addition, an analytical tool to determine the geographical origins of shrimp in commerce will lend credence to mandatory Country of Labeling of shrimp and aid in the detection and prevention of transshipment of shrimp to avoid import or custom duties. Preliminary data strongly suggests that due to the inherent differences in the geology and water chemistry found in distinct marine environments, it is possible to trace a shrimp back to its origin. The unique elemental profiles of the shells and meat provide solid and significant statistical data that forms the basis of the method. This approach has been successfully applied to establish the harvest origins of salmon. It is our intent to extend and modify this approach to shrimp in order to develop a new tool that can be used for establishing the traceability of shrimp to a geographic origin. The tools and methods developed will be commercially available for use in Federal, State, public and private laboratories. This work also has potential to serve as the platform technology for developing traceability methods and protocols for other foods in commerce.