Evaluating Proper Labeling of Raw Yellowfin and Albacore Tuna Through Species Identification Analysis

Abstract

This observational study aims to investigate the accuracy of labelling in raw tuna by testing DNA samples from two species sourced from 8 locations. The two tuna species used are albacore and yellowfin, and each sample was obtained from different grocery stores and sushi restaurants. The techniques involved are DNA isolation, PCR, and gel electrophoresis to identify potential mislabelling of tuna species. In DNA isolation, samples were treated with cell lysis solution and Proteinase K, followed by precipitation with isopropanol and ethanol to obtain DNA pellets. PCR was performed using a master mix containing primers specific to tuna and Taq Polymerase, allowing for DNA amplification of 40 cycles. Gel electrophoresis was conducted to compare band patterns and detect DNA markers specific to tuna. The literature values of band patterns for yellowfin and albacore were 127 bp and 178 bp, respectively. Based on data from the gel electrophoresis, we obtained only 4 results from the 8 samples we had since 4 of them returned inconclusive banding patterns. Three of the four banding pattern results were for Yellowfin samples and one was for an Albacore sample. The three Yellowfin samples were labeled correctly while the Albacore sample was mislabeled.