Revisiting molecular techniques for the authentication of mackerels in commercial products: Approaches to prevent seafood fraud

Background: Seafood fraud involves mislabeling and false claims. To avoid this deceptive practice, authentication techniques, including DNA-based methods, have been developed. These techniques detect fraud, ensure accurate labeling, and maintain product integrity, aiding in species identification, verifying origins, and promoting industry transparency. Scope and approach: This review aims to provide a detailed list of approaches for the authenticity of mackerel species due to the prevalence of mislabeling and substitution. Utilizing techniques like DNA, we can identify Scomber species by analyzing specific genetic markers. This work advances the evaluation of existing molecular markers through in silico simulations, while also purposing novel primers designed for a more accurate authentication of processed mackerel products. Key findings and conclusion: With advances in techniques, we are seeing significant advances in food authentication methods. DNA barcoding has seen substantial evolution, thanks to improvements in databases and NGS sequencing technologies. The advent of DNA metabarcoding is also revolutionizing species identification in highly processed seafoods. Using more comprehensive primers in Metabarcoding can enhance the assessment of scombrid products. In recent times, SNP-based approaches with microfluidic enrichment, DNA-based biosensors and microbiome sequencing techniques have emerged as key tools for assessing the authenticity and identifying the origins of seafood products.