Application of magnetic resonance tools for qualification and traceability of seafood

Title : Application of magnetic resonance tools for qualification and traceability of seafood

Abstract:

The global seafood industry faces persistent challenges related to product quality, safety, and authenticity, driven by complex supply chains, increasing demand, and the perishable nature of aquatic products. Traditional analytical methods often fall short in providing rapid, comprehensive, and non-destructive insights into the intricate biochemical changes occurring in seafood. Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy has emerged as a powerful and versatile tool for metabolomics, offering a holistic view of the low-molecular-weight compounds (metabolites) present in biological samples. The present study applied ¹H High-Resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance for chemical fingerprint identification in mullets from Araruama Lagoon and Sepetiba Bay, with the objective of obtaining a geographical identification brand for fish from the Lakes Region of Rio de Janeiro State. Lyophilized mullet muscle samples were used to prepare aqueous extracts. Subsequently, the samples were carefully transferred to 5 mm NMR tubes and placed in the NMR spectrometer (600 MHz) for analysis. As partial results, 22 metabolites related to degradation biomarkers, essential metabolites, energy expenditure, and muscle structure were identified. The statistical analysis of the results showed differences in metabolite concentrations among mullets from distinct locations. The ¹H NMR tool was efficient in determining metabolites that can be considered biomarkers in analyses for seafood traceability.

Keywords: mullet, metabolites, biomarkers, analyses, muscle.

Biography:

A Senior Researcher at Embrapa Food Technology, with a degree in Animal Science, a master's, and a doctorate in Aquaculture from the State University of São Paulo, Brazil. She has a wealth of experience in the fields of aquaculture and fishing, food science and technology, and bioaccessibility of compounds. Her expertise includes the use of analytical tools such as metabolomics for seafood traceability, as well as the monitoring and control of contaminants. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere/Lisbon/Portugal, where he concentrated on the development of analytical methods to evaluate the risks and benefits of fish consumption.