NIST Seafood Reference Materials for Authenticating Imported Products

Published

May 21, 2025

Author(s)

Debra Ellisor, Amanda Bayless, William Davis, Tracey Johnston, Mary Gregg, Angela Folz, Antonio Possolo

Abstract

Seafood is one of the most highly-traded international commodities and product price is determined by characteristics which can be potentially falsified at import (ie. species, provenance, weight), resulting in inflated payouts, encouraging unsustainable practices, and damaging domestic seafood economies. Additionally, species substitutions and the inclusion of additives such as gels, dyes, and antibiotics commonly found in fish feed can negatively impact consumer health. Food regulatory and customs agencies would benefit from authentic seafood materials to aid in identifying cases of import fraud. To address this need, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) utilized shrimp and salmon, two of the three most consumed seafood products in the US, to develop authenticity reference materials (RMs). Wild-caught and aquacultured seafood materials were procured from verified sources and edible portions, including fish skin, were cryohomogenized and blended from multiple individuals to produce fresh-frozen homogenates. Values for total fat, fatty acids and total protein were provided, as were genetic assessments using targeted PCR-based methods and Next-Generation Sequencing. Data generated from the latter was used to develop a novel method for quantifying confidence in genome-based identifications. Additional untargeted NMR and HRMS-based analyses were conducted to identify global differences in metabolite and lipid profiles based on material source. RM 8256 Wild-caught Coho Salmon, RM 8257 Aquacultured Coho Salmon, RM 8258 Wild-caught Shrimp, and RM 8259 Aquacultured Shrimp are currently available for authentication and seafood safety studies.

Citation

BIPM 1875-2025 Celebrating 150 Join the Celebration-150 Years of the Metre Convention

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https://www.bipm.org/en/

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Citation

Ellisor, D. , Bayless, A. , Davis, W. , Johnston, T. , Gregg, M. , Folz, A. and Possolo, A. (2025), NIST Seafood Reference Materials for Authenticating Imported Products, BIPM 1875-2025 Celebrating 150 Join the Celebration-150 Years of the Metre Convention, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=959772, https://www.bipm.org/en/ (Accessed February 3, 2026)