Improving the microbiological safety and quality of aquatic products using nonthermal processing.

Spoilage and deterioration of aquatic products during storage are inevitable, posing significant challenges to their suitability for consumption and the sustainability of the aquatic products supply chain. Research on the nonthermal processing of fruit juices, probiotics, dairy products, and meat has demonstrated positive outcomes in preserving quality. This review examines specific spoilage bacteria species and mechanisms for various aquatic products and discusses the principles, characteristics, and applications of six nonthermal processing methods for bacterial inhibition to maintain microbiological safety and physicochemical quality. The primary spoilage bacteria groups differ among fish, crustaceans, and shellfish based on storage conditions and durations. Four metabolic pathways utilized by spoilage microorganisms-peptides and amino acids, nitrogen compounds, nucleotides, and carbohydrates-are crucial in explaining spoilage. Nonthermal processing techniques, such as ultrahigh pressure, irradiation, magnetic/electric fields, plasma, and ultrasound, can inactivate microorganisms, thereby enhancing microbiological safety, physicochemical quality, and shelf life. Future research may integrate nonthermal processing with other technologies (e.g., modified atmosphere packaging and omics) to elucidate mechanisms of spoilage and improve the storage quality of aquatic products.

Toxinas Algales en el Mar Argentino: nuevos hallazgos, nuevos desafíos / Algal Toxins in the Argentine Sea: new findings, new challenges

Resumen Las floraciones de algas nocivas son un problema cada vez más frecuente a nivel mundial que ocasiona severos daños sobre la salud pública, pérdidas económicas en acuicultura, perjuicios al turismo y episodios de mortalidad de poblaciones naturales de peces, aves y mamíferos marinos. Las toxinas son producidas por el fitoplancton y se acumulan en moluscos bivalvos que se alimentan por filtración del agua siendo estos los principales vectores de intoxicación humana. En el Mar Argentino, se han reportado toxinas marinas de origen microalgal asociadas con cuatro síndromes de intoxicación por moluscos. Los síndromes más graves por su extensión, frecuencia, toxicidad y organismos afectados, son los originados por el dinoflagelado Alexandrium cate-nella responsable de la Intoxicación Paralizante por Moluscos la cual ha ocasionado numerosas muertes humanas. Seguidamente, la más leve, en cuanto a gravedad y frecuencia, ha sido la Intoxicación Diarreica por Moluscos. En contraste, el ácido domoico, conocido como toxina amnésica de moluscos, no ha producido hasta ahora intoxicaciones humanas. Recientemente, se amplió el rango de toxinas para la región al registrarse las toxinas y los dinoflagelados productores de la Intoxicación Azaspirácidos por Moluscos. Además, se han detectado las potencialmente tóxicas Yessotoxinas y Espirolidos, cuyos mecanismos de acción y toxicidad están siendo aún evaluados a nivel mundial. Estas toxinas emergentes para la región, representan un riesgo potencial para la salud e inconvenientes socioeconómicos por el cierre de los sitios de explotación de moluscos. Ciertamente presentan un nuevo desafío, pues la detección y cuantificación sólo puede realizarse por medio de métodos basados en HPLC - espectrometría de masas, lo cual dificulta el monitoreo en laboratorios regionales en el país. La herramienta clave de manejo es la prevención, a través de políticas, regulaciones y sistemas de monitoreo y control de cada grupo de toxinas. A través de estas mejoras, se anticipa que no sólo disminuirá el número de afectados por estas intoxicaciones, si no que se podrán realizar vedas más eficientes, asegurando un equilibrio que proteja tanto la salud pública como el desarrollo de la industria pesquera.

Abstract Harmful algal blooms are an increasingly common problem worldwide, causing severe damage to public health, economic losses in aquaculture, damage to tourism and mortality events of natural populations of fish, birds and marine mammals. The toxins are produced by phytoplankton and accumulated in bivalve molluscs that feed on water filtration, being these main vectors of human intoxication. In the Argentine Sea marine toxins of microalgal origin have been reported associated with four shellfish poisoning syn-dromes. The most serious due to their extension, frequency, toxicity and affected organisms are those caused by the dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella responsible for the Paralytic shellfish poisoning that has caused numerous human deaths. Then, the mildest, in severity and frequency, is the Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning. In contrast, domoic acid, known as Amnesic shellfish toxin, has not produced human intoxications yet. Recently, toxins and dinoflagellate species causing Azaspiracid shellfish poisoning have been re-corded, expanding the range of toxins for the region. In addition, the potentially toxic Yessotoxins and Spirolides have been detected, whose mechanism of action and toxicity is still being evaluated worldwide. These emerging toxins represent a potential risk to public health and socioeconomic activities due to the eventual closure of mollusc exploitation sites. They certainly present a new challenge, since detection and quantification can only be carried out using methods based on HPLC - mass spectrometry, which makes monitor-ing in regional laboratories difficult. Prevention through policies, regulations, and monitoring and control systems of each toxin group is the key management tool. These preventive measures are expected to contribute to reducing the number of poisonings and to ap-plying more efficient fisheries closures, ensuring a balance that protects both public health and the development of the fishing industry.

Genomic prediction for disease resistance to Hepatopancreatic parvovirus and growth, carcass and quality traits in Banana shrimp Fenneropenaeus merguiensis.

Conventional genetic improvement of disease resistance in aquatic animal species involves challenge tests or using qPCR to quantify viral load that is costly, time-consuming and causing biosecurity concerns. Recent developments in high throughput next generation genome sequencing platforms such as genotyping by sequencing (GBS) have opened new possibilities for improving disease traits based on DNA information. The principal aim of this study was thus to examine potential application of genomic selection to improve resistance to hepatopancreatic parvovirus (HPV) in banana shrimp Fenneropenaeus merguiensis. Specifically, we used a total of 9472 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) developed de novo from GBS platforms to assess accuracy of genomic prediction for HPV resistance and growth, carcass and quality-related traits in this white shrimp species. Our multi-locus mixed model analysis showed moderate heritabilities for HPV resistance (h2 = 0.46) and other traits studied (0.10 to 0.55). Genetic correlations of HPV titre with growth and carcass traits, estimated using SNPs markers, were negative (i.e., favourable), suggesting that selection for improved growth and carcass traits may have increased HPV resistance (i.e., reduced HPV titre). More importantly, our gBLUP model demonstrated that the accuracy of gBLUP prediction was moderate for HPV disease resistance (0.46). The genomic prediction accuracy was somewhat greater for growth and carcass related traits especially for body weight (0.76) and meat or tail weight (0.77). On the other hand, the prediction accuracy was from 0.25 to 0.41 for quality traits (raw and cooked colour and flesh streaks). Collectively, it is concluded that there are prospects to apply genomic selection in the genetic improvement for increased disease resistance, carcass and quality-related traits in this population of banana shrimp F. merguiensis.

Evaluation of new approaches to the access of official monitoring results for live bivalves molluscs.

BACKGROUND: Live bivalve molluscs, echinoderms, tunicates and marine gastropod are referred in EU food laws, and require member states to implement official controls in classified production areas, with the monitoring and classification of those areas. If, due to contaminant tests results, a production area is closed, any product from there is prohibited to be commercialized. Mobile applications optical character recognition (OCR) functionalities could ease the access to contaminant levels and production area classifications. This study verifies what information is available in live bivalves' labels, describes an OCR algorithm for those labels and evaluates it. METHODS: 86 labels were selected from four sale points in Lisbon, and photographed using smartphones. Each label was evaluated by a human to determine what data was available (either required or not). An OCR algorithm was developed and applied on the collected labels and validated against the data extracted by the human analysis. RESULTS: The analysis shows that all the labels included the required information, and 63% of the labels included the identifier for the production zone. The label-reading algorithm performs with an accuracy of 79.85% for the individual values. CONCLUSION: High accuracy of the developed label-reading algorithm shows potential for providing instant automatic access to the date and production area, but is affected by the variability on the label structure. Although not required by food laws, the majority of the sampled labels included complementary information (classified production area) that will allow access to more precise information about the existing biotoxin tests and analysis results.

Assessment of some heavy metal accumulation and nutritional quality of shellfish with reference to human health and cancer risk assessment: a seafood safety approach.

This study was conducted to assess the proximate analysis (protein, carbohydrate, lipid, and moisture content) and concentration levels of metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Cr) in the muscles of selected shellfish (Portunus reticulatus, P. segnis, P. sanguinolentus, Scylla olivaceae, Penaeus monodon, and P. indicus) species. The concentration of metals showed significant difference (p > 0.05) among species. The detected concentrations of the analyzed heavy metals were below the daily intake and legal limits set by national and international standards. The THQs and CR index were calculated to evaluate the risk estimation of the metal contamination associated with the human health. The THQ values of all metals were below 1 in all species, indicated that there is no risk of adverse health effect, but the risk of elevated intakes of heavy metals adversely affecting food safety for the studied species. The CR index indicated that Cd and Pb caused the greatest cancer risk. The correlation and multivariate (principle component analysis) among metal concentration and nutritional quality were also evaluated. The carbohydrate and moisture showed the positive correlation (p > 0.05) with metals. The biochemical results of the present work clearly indicate that there was a significant difference in the muscles of shellfish. It was concluded that more effective controls should be focused on Cd and Pb to reduce pollution for quality and seafood safety concern.

Efficacy of Vibrio parahaemolyticus depuration in oysters (Crassostrea gigas).

This study investigated the influences of seawater to oyster ratio on depuration for decontaminating V. parahaemolyticus in raw oysters with a goal of identifying the proper ratio of oyster to seawater capable of improving the efficacy of the depuration process. The water to oyster ratios tested in this study ranged from 1.0 to 2.5 L of artificial seawater (ASW) per oyster (40 oysters in 40, 60, 80 and 100 L ASW). The depuration efficacy for purging V. parahaemolyticus from oysters was highest when we applied a 2:1, followed by 1.5:1, 2.5:1, and 1:1 L of ASW/oyster. Further studies of depuration with 2:1 L of ASW/oyster found that the concentration of V. parahaemolyticus in oysters decreased in a nonlinear manner. The depuration curve was fitted to a one phase decay model with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.933. The time for a 3 log reduction was 1.75 days with a 95% confidence interval from 1.65 to 1.85 days, which meets the FDA's requirement of larger than a 3.0 log (MPN/g) reduction as a post-harvest process for V. parahaemolyticus control. After 4 days levels in all trials were <100 MPN/g meeting performance standards established by Japan and Canada. Furthermore, the time for a 3.52 log reduction was 3.17 days with a 95% confidence interval from 2.92 to 3.54 days but it took 5 days to reduce levels to <30 MPN/g, which satisfies FDA's requirement as a post-harvest control process (>3.52 log MPN/g reduction) for the purpose of making safety added labeling claims for V. parahaemolyticus.

Do the Escherichia coli European Union shellfish safety standards predict the presence of Arcobacter spp., a potential zoonotic pathogen?

The genus Arcobacter comprises Campylobacter-related species, considered zoonotic emergent pathogens, the presence of which in water has been associated with fecal pollution. Discharges of fecal polluted water into the sea have been considered as one of the main reasons for the presence of Arcobacter in shellfish, and this may represent a risk for public health. In this study, the European Union shellfish food safety criteria based on levels of Escherichia coli were studied in relation to their capacity to predict the presence of Arcobacter species. In addition, the accumulation factor (AF) that measures the concentration ratio between the microbes present in the shellfish and in the water, was also studied for both bacteria. The results show that the presence of E. coli correlated with the presence of the potentially pathogenic species A. butzleri and A. cryaerophilus. However, in 26.1% of the shellfish samples (corresponding to those taken during summer months) E. coli failed to predict the presence of, for instance A. butzleri and A. skirrowii, among other species. In the rest of the samples a significant correlation between the concentration of E. coli and Arcobacter spp. (mussels and oyster; R2=0.744) was found. This study indicates that the presence of E. coli can predict the presence of pathogenic Arcobacter species in shellfish samples harvested from water with temperatures lower than 26.2°C. Consumption of shellfish collected at higher temperatures which may not be permissive to the growth of E. coli but does allow growth of Arcobacter spp., may represent a risk for consumers.

Total mercury levels in crustacean species from Italian fishery.

This study investigated mercury contamination levels in eight commercially valuable crustacean species caught off the Central Adriatic and Tyrrhenian coasts of Italy. Total mercury levels were measured by Thermal Decomposition-Amalgamation-Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. Results showed a high variability among species with values ranging from 0.070 to 1.24 (mg kg-1 wet weight). The lowest mercury levels were detected in caramote prawn (Penaeus kerathurus), warty crab (Eriphia verrucosa) and European spider crab (Maja squinado), decapods living in shallow waters. Levels exceeding the limits established by the European Commission were found in species living in close contact with bottom sediments: deepwater rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris), blue and red shrimp (Aristeus antennatus) and Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus). For shrimps, the inter-individual variability observed was mostly related to the body size, indicating the accumulation of mercury with age. An estimation of the human intake of mercury associated to the consumption of the crustaceans sampled and its comparison with the Tolerable Weekly Intake are provided.

Social and economic aspects of aquatic animal health.

Aquaculture is an increasingly important source of animal protein for a growing global population. Disease is a major constraint to production, with resultant socio-economic impacts for individuals, communities and economies which rely on aquaculture. Aquatic animal health is also strongly influenced by human factors, ranging from international trade regulations to the behaviours of individuals working in aquaculture. This article summarises the human factors associated with aquaculture production using international examples for illustration.

L'aquaculture est une source de protéines animales de plus en plus importante compte tenu des besoins d'une population mondiale toujours plus nombreuse. Les maladies sont un obstacle majeur pour la production du secteur, avec des effets socio-économiques importants pour les individus, les communautés et les économies dépendant de l'aquaculture. La santé des animaux aquatiques subit également l'influence de facteurs anthropiques, depuis les réglementations applicables au commerce international jusqu'au comportement des personnels des fermes aquacoles. Cet article résume les facteurs anthropiques associés à l'aquaculture, à partir d'exemples observés dans divers endroits du monde.

La acuicultura constituye una fuente de proteínas animales de creciente importancia para una población mundial que aumenta sin cesar. Las enfermedades, que son el principal factor limitante que pesa sobre la producción, tienen también efectos socioeconómicos para las personas, comunidades y economías que dependen de la acuicultura. La sanidad de los animales acuáticos se ve igualmente muy influida por una panoplia de factores humanos, que van desde los reglamentos de comercio internacional hasta el proceder del personal de las instalaciones acuícolas. Sirviéndose de ejemplos tomados de diferentes países, los autores resumen los factores humanos que influyen en la producción acuícola.

Occurrence, distribution, ecological and resistance risks of antibiotics in surface water of finfish and shellfish aquaculture in Bangladesh.

The present study for the first time reports the occurrence, distribution, ecological and resistance risks of antibiotics in the surface water of freshwater finfish and brackish water shellfish aquaculture in Bangladesh. Among the nine targets, seven antibiotics were detected in finfish aquaculture, whereas four in shellfish aquaculture. The concentrations (ranges) and overall detection frequency of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) (nd-20.02 ng L-1 and 73%), trimethoprim (TMP) (nd-41.67 ng L-1 and 60%), tylosin (TYL) (nd-39.34 ng L-1 and 60%), sulfadiazine (SDZ) (nd-17.97 ng L-1 and 53%), sulfamethazine (SMT) (nd-11.71 ng L-1 and 33%), sulfamethizole (SMZ) (nd-10.81 ng L-1 and 40%) and penicillin G (PC_G) (nd-7.83 ng L-1, 7%) were found in finfish aquaculture. In case of shellfish aquaculture, the concentrations (ranges) and overall detection frequency were for SMX (nd-16.77 ng L-1 and 67%), TMP (nd-11.39 ng L-1 and 20%), TYL (nd-0.16 ng L-1 and 20%) and erythromycin-H2O (ERY-H2O) (nd-3.91 ng L-1 and 20%). The present findings revealed that finfish aquaculture is more contaminated with the higher numbers and concentrations of antibiotics. The preliminary ecological and resistance risks assessment showed that the calculated risk quotients (RQs) were lower than one (RQs<1) for all the detected antibiotics in both aquaculture. Preliminary ecological and resistance risks assessment revealed that there were no adverse ecological and resistance risks, however, our study suggests that it is imperative to pay due attention to monitor the antibiotics contamination in rapid growing aquaculture sector of Bangladesh for the reduction of potential risks of antibiotics on aquatic organisms as well as human health.

Towards improved quality benchmarking and shelf life evaluation of black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon).

An improved quality benchmarking and shelf life evaluation of freshly harvested black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) was pursued by combining sensory and chemical methods. This involved developing a quality index method (QIM) to further assess both freshness and shelf life of the studied shrimp samples. The quality index included the use of trimethylamine (TMA-N), total volatile basis nitrogen (TVB-N), histamine, and hypoxanthine, which were performed at scheduled times during the ten days of ice storage (0°C). Shelf life of the studied shrimp was most likely to be 8days, and there were positive linear correlations between quality indices (QI) and storage period. The quality of shrimp decreased over storage time. In fact, significant changes of chemical and sensory characteristics of the shrimp samples would become more obvious from day 5 onwards. Besides, quality classification of black tiger shrimp involved four main levels, namely: excellent, good, moderately acceptable, and just acceptable.

Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in Various Tissues of Some Fish Species and Green Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus) from Iskenderun Bay, Turkey, and Risk Assessment for Human Health.

In this study, concentrations of heavy metals were determined by ICP-MS in the edible tissues of common sole (Solea solea Linnaeus, 1758), whiting (Merlangius merlangus Linnaeus, 1758), silver sillago (Sillago sihama Forsskål, 1775) and muscle-exoskeleton of green tiger shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus De Haan, 1844), from the seas of Iskenderun Bay, Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey, in January-February, 2016. The lowest and highest mean concentrations of Mn, Cr, Cd, Ni, Hg, As, Pb, and Co in fish and shrimp' muscles were found, respectively, as follows: 0.166-0.382, 0.134-0.336, 0.005-0.008, 0.091-0.140, 0.026-0.228, 1.741-29.254, 0.087-0.110, and <0.0005-0.027 mg kg-1; in the skin and exoskeleton, the values were found, respectively, as 0.103-15.819, 0.301-0.778, 0.007-0.026, 0.115-0.513, 0.021-0.243, 1.548-17.930, 0.148-0.295, and <0.0005-0.140 mg kg-1. According to the results, mean concentrations of all metals in the muscles of fish, except for arsenic and chromium, were found to be below certain legal limit values, especially arsenic levels in shrimp that were found to be above all the legal limit values. Also, the hazard quotients (HQ) of individual heavy metals in fish and shrimp, except for As, revealed safe levels for human consumption. However, the HQ values of estimated inorganic As exceeded 1 in the muscles of shrimp (P. semisulcatus), which may constitute a risk to public health.

Quantification of Vibrio species in oysters from the Gulf of Mexico with two procedures based on MPN and PCR.

Oysters can accumulate potentially pathogenic water bacteria. The objective of this study was to compare two procedures to quantify Vibrio species present in oysters to determine the most sensitive method. We analyzed oyster samples from the Gulf of Mexico, commercialized in Mexico City. The samples were inoculated in tubes with alkaline peptone water (APW), based on three tubes and four dilutions (10-1 to 10-4). From these tubes, the first quantification of Vibrio species was performed (most probable number (MPN) from tubes) and bacteria were inoculated by streaking on thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose (TCBS) petri dishes. Colonies were isolated for a second quantification (MPN from dishes). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to determine species with specific primers: ompW for Vibrio cholerae, tlh for Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and VvhA for Vibrio vulnificus. Simultaneously, the sanitary quality of oysters was determined. The quantification of V. parahaemolyticus was significantly higher in APW tubes than in TCBS dishes. Regarding V. vulnificus counts, the differences among both approaches were not significant. In contrast, the MPNs of V. cholerae obtained from dishes were higher than from tubes. The quantification of MPNs through PCR of V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus obtained from APW was sensitive and recommendable for the detection of both species. In contrast, to quantify V. cholerae, it was necessary to isolate colonies on TCBS prior PCR. Culturing in APW at 42 °C could be an alternative to avoid colony isolation. The MPNs of V. cholerae from dishes was associated with the bad sanitary quality of the samples.

Laser ablation electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry for regulatory screening of domoic acid in shellfish.

RATIONALE: Domoic acid (DA) is a potent neurotoxin that accumulates in shellfish. Routine testing involves homogenization, extraction and chromatographic analysis, with a run time of up to 30 min. Improving throughput using ambient ionization for direct analysis of DA in tissue would result in significant time savings for regulatory testing labs. METHODS: We assess the suitability of laser ablation electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (LAESI-HRMS) for high-throughput screening or quantitation of DA in a variety of shellfish matrices. The method was first optimized for use with HRMS detection. Challenges such as tissue sub-sampling, isobaric interferences and method calibration were considered and practical solutions developed. Samples included 189 real shellfish samples previously analyzed by regulatory labs as well as mussel matrix certified reference materials. RESULTS: Domoic acid was selectively analyzed directly from shellfish tissue homogenates with a run time of 12 s. The limits of detection were between 0.24 and 1.6 mg DA kg-1 tissue, similar to those of LC/UV methods. The precision was between 27 and 44% relative standard deviation (RSD), making the technique more suited to screening than direct quantitation. LAESI-MS showed good agreement with LC/UV and LC/MS and was capable of identifying samples above and below 5 mg DA kg-1 wet shellfish tissue, one quarter of the regulatory limit. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate the suitability of LAESI-MS for routine, high-throughput screening of DA. This approach could result in significant time savings for regulatory labs carrying out shellfish safety testing on thousands of samples annually. © 2016 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A HAB warning system for shellfish harvesting in Portugal.

The development of sustainable shellfish aquaculture is highly dependent on the provision of reliable monitoring and predictive information on the occurrence of harmful algal blooms (HABs). The Portuguese HAB early warning system and shellfish closures presented here is a prototype, developed in the ASIMUTH project. It relies on weekly monitoring data composed of observations of HAB species and toxin concentrations within shellfish, and ocean circulation forecasts generated by an operational oceanographic model. The shellfish harvesting areas comprise coastal areas, estuaries+rías and coastal lagoons. The weekly bulletin characterizes the current shellfish closure situation and next week's forecasts for potentially impacted areas. The period analyzed ranged from 27 July 2013 to 17 March 2014, and describes the first skill assessment of the warning system. The forecast accuracy was evaluated, considering the number of forecasts that were verified to be correct the following week (85%) as well as the number of events not forecasted (false negatives, 12%) and those expected but did not occur (false positives, 3%). Variations were most visible in the first weeks of bulletin implementation and during autumn-winter months. The complementary use of field data, remote sensing and operational models led to more accurate predictions of blooms and range of the event.

Legislative and regulatory aspects of molluscan health management.

The world population is growing quickly and there is a need to make sustainable protein available through an integrated approach that includes marine aquaculture. Seafood is already a highly traded commodity but the production from capture fisheries is rarely sustainable, which makes mollusc culture more important. However, an important constraint to its continued expansion is the potential for trade movements to disseminate pathogens that can cause disease problems and loss of production. Therefore, this review considers legislative and regulatory aspects of molluscan health management that have historically attempted to control the spread of mollusc pathogens. It is argued that the legislation has been slow to react to emerging diseases and the appearance of exotic pathogens in new areas. In addition, illegal trade movements are taken into account and possible future developments related to improvements in areas such as data collection and diagnostic techniques, as well as epidemiology, traceability and risk analysis, are outlined.

Prediction of spoilage of tropical shrimp (Penaeus notialis) under dynamic temperature regimes.

The spoilage activity of Pseudomonas psychrophila and Carnobacterium maltaromaticum, two tropical shrimp (Penaeus notialis) spoilage organisms, was assessed in cooked shrimps stored at 0 to 28 °C. Microbiological, chemical and sensory analyses were performed during storage. P. psychrophila had a higher growth rate and showed a higher spoilage activity at temperatures from 0 to 15 °C, while at 28 °C, C. maltaromaticum had a higher growth rate. The spoilage activity of P. psychrophila was found to be higher in cooked shrimp than in fresh shrimp. Observed shelf-life data of shrimps stored at constant temperatures were used to validate a previously developed model that predicts tropical shrimp shelf-life at constant storage temperatures. Models predicting the growth of the spoilage organisms as a function of temperature were constructed. The validation of these models under dynamic storage temperatures simulating temperature fluctuation in the shrimp supply chain showed that they can be used to predict the shelf-life of cooked and fresh tropical shrimps.

Mercury contamination and exposure assessment of fishery products in Korea.

In this study, total (T-Hg) and methyl mercury (Me-Hg) contamination was investigated in fishery products including canned fish, fish sauces, dried bonito and frozen tuna sashimi, collected from retail markets in Korea, to assess dietary exposure. Direct mercury analyser and gas chromatography-electron captured detector were employed to measure T-Hg and Me-Hg, respectively. The highest T-Hg and Me-Hg contamination was present in tuna sashimi, followed by dried bonito, respectively. Canned tuna showed more frequent detection and higher content than other canned fishery products. The weekly exposure estimate indicates that exposure to mercury from fishery products is safe, showing 2.59% provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) for T-Hg, 1.82% PTWI for Me-Hg and 4.16% reference dose for Me-Hg. However, it should be addressed to monitor the mercury contamination in fish and fishery products regularly, to safeguard vulnerable population such as children, to limit intake of these food products.

A sensory and nutritional comparison of mussels (Mytilus sp.) produced in NW Iberia and in the Armona offshore production area (Algarve, Portugal).

A biometric, nutritional and sensory analysis of raw and cooked mussels comparing Mytilus sp. from the north-west coast of Portugal and Spain (Minho and Galicia, respectively) and the new offshore production site of Armona (Algarve, south Portugal) was carried out. In addition, multiple factorial analysis was performed to explore potential relationships between sensory attributes and nutritional content properties between the different mussels. Results showed that, at similar times of sale, biometrics of mussels from Armona and Vigo were similar and bigger than the remaining. Nonetheless, despite some similarities in proximate composition, mussels presented differences in lipid classes, fatty acid content and free amino acids profiles. These differences were not fully reflected in the sensory assessment by the panel, which were able to distinguish different production sites in raw specimens but displayed problems in discrimination these in cooked mussels. Some nutritional components were related to specific sensory sensations.

Quality perceptions of stakeholders in Beninese export-oriented shrimp chain.

In recent years, the Beninese shrimp sector has faced a ban on export to the European Union due to lack of compliance with food safety standards. The present study aimed at obtaining insight into the factors that determine shrimp quality and safety in Benin. A survey was conducted to investigate the relationships between stakeholders, the conditions under which shrimps are handled at fishing areas and processed at shrimp plants, and the stakeholders' perceptions of quality. A total of 325 fishermen, 128 intermediate traders, 12 collectors, and 3 shrimp processing plant managers were interviewed face to face. The results showed that various specific relations existed between the stakeholders. For example, loyalty was ensured by family relationships, or incentives were provided to ensure a supply of shrimps between stakeholders. Shrimp handling practices during the steps prior to shrimp processing at the plants were not in agreement with the requirements of the European regulations. For example, shrimps were kept at ambient temperature (28 ± 1°C) by 94.1% of fishermen and 60.9% of intermediate traders. Shrimps were also stored in inappropriate holding containers and washed with nonpotable water. Fishermen, intermediate traders, and collectors considered shrimp size and texture their priority quality attributes, whereas plant managers considered shrimp appearance (freshness) and texture their priority quality attributes. This survey demonstrated that the steps prior to shrimp processing at the plants are the critical steps for shrimp quality and safety because of temperature abuse and inappropriate hygienic conditions. There is a need to communicate and provide incentives for the stakeholders in the first part of the chain to give priority to shrimp freshness. Moreover, training in Good Fishing Practices and safe food handling practices and evaluation of compliance with the practices through monitoring will contribute to better shrimp quality and safety management.