Analyzing the Metabolomic Profile of Yellowtail (Seriola quinquerdiata) by Capillary Electrophoresis–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry to Determine Geographical Origin

Abstract

Country-of-origin violations have occurred in which some merchants have fraudulently sold cheap Japanese yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata) by presenting them as domestic Korean products. There are many methods for determining the origins of marine organisms, such as molecular genetic methods and isotope analysis. However, this study aimed to develop a method for determining the origins of aquatic products using metabolite analysis technology. Ten yellowtail each from Korea and Japan were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis–time of flight/mass spectrometry (CETOF/MS). Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) results showed highly differing aspects between the Korean and Japanese samples. In the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, citric, malic, oxaloglutaric, and fumaric acids exhibited significant differences between Korean and Japanese yellowtail. Sixteen of the twenty essential amino acids analyzed as metabolites also differed significantly. All amino acids were involved in protein digestion, absorption, and metabolism. All 16 amino acid contents were higher in Japanese yellowtail than in Korean yellowtail, except for glutamine. The fasting period was found to be the biggest factor contributing to the difference in amino acid contents, in addition to environmental factors (including feeding habits). These significant differences indicated that metabolomics could be used to determine geographical origin.

Capillary Electrophoresis: A Three-Year Literature Review

“…A CE-TOF-MS-based metabolomic study of the Korean and Japanese yellowtail ( Seriola quinqueradiata ) fish revealed distinct metabolite profiles between the species from the two origins . This included the metabolites essential for the tricarboxylic acid cycle (i.e., citric acid, fumaric acid, pyruvic acid) and 20 essential amino acids except for cysteine, lysine, histidine, and aspartate.…”

“…245 A CE-TOF-MS-based metabolomic study of the Korean and Japanese yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata) fish revealed distinct metabolite profiles between the species from the two origins. 246 This included the metabolites essential for the tricarboxylic acid cycle (i.e., citric acid, fumaric acid, pyruvic acid) and 20 essential amino acids except for cysteine, lysine, histidine, and aspartate. These differences may stem from variations in fasting periods during transportation due to the geographical distance between Korea and Japan, as well as disparities in their feeding methods and catching times.…”

Biomarker Development for Identifying Mud Loach (Misgurnus mizolepis) Origin Country Using Untargeted Metabolite Profiling

“…Food metabolomics has been used to identify the geographical origins of products, analyze food ingredients, and determine authenticity by identifying and monitoring low-molecular-weight metabolites [5][6][7][8]. Metabolic analysis techniques are based on mass spectrometry (MS), including liquid chromatography (LC)/MS, gas chromatography, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy [9][10][11][12]. In data processing, multivariate data analysis, including principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), can be used to extract information by simultaneously analyzing multiple variables.…”