Review and Analysis of Tuna Recalls in the United States, 2002 through 2020

Thermostable allergens in canned fish: Evaluating risks for fish allergy

BACKGROUND

Major fish allergens, including parvalbumin (PV), are heat stable and can withstand extensive cooking processes. Thus, the management of fish allergy generally relies on complete avoidance. Fish-allergic patients may be advised to consume canned fish, as some fish-allergic individuals have reported tolerance to canned fish. However, the safety of consuming canned fish has not been evaluated with comprehensive immunological and molecular analysis of canned fish products.

METHODS

We characterized the in vitro immunoreactivity of serum obtained from fish-allergic subjects to canned fish. Seventeen canned fish products (salmon n = 8; tuna n = 7; sardine n = 2) were assessed for the content and integrity of PV using allergen-specific antibodies. Subsequently, the sIgE binding of five selected products was evaluated for individual fish-allergic patients (n = 53). Finally, sIgE-binding proteins were identified by mass spectrometry.

RESULTS

The canned fish showed a markedly reduced PV content and binding to PV-specific antibodies compared with conventionally cooked fish. However, PV and other heat-stable fish allergens, including tropomyosin and collagen, still maintained their sIgE-binding capacity. Of 53 patients, 66% showed sIgE binding to canned fish proteins. The canned sardine contained proteins bound to sIgE from 51% of patients, followed by canned salmon (43%-45%) and tuna (8%-17%). PV was the major allergen in canned salmon and sardine. Tropomyosin and/or collagen also showed sIgE binding.

CONCLUSION

We showed that canned fish products may not be safe for all fish-allergic patients. Canned fish products should only be considered into the diet of individuals with fish allergy, after detailed evaluation which may include in vitro diagnostics to various heat-stable fish allergens and food challenge conducted in suitable environments.

An Analysis of Seafood Recalls in the Unitedthrough 2022

This review analyzes the seafood recalls registered by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) from October 2002 through March 2022. There were more than 2,400 recalls for seafood products over this 20-year period. Biological contamination was the listed root cause for about 40% of these recalls. Almost half were designated as Class I recalls, due to the high risk of the recalled seafood to cause disease or death. Independent of the recall classification, 74% of the recalls were due to violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) regulations. The most common cause for these seafood recalls was due to undeclared allergens (34%). More than half of the undeclared allergen recalls were for undeclared milk and eggs. Recalls for Listeria monocytogenes accounted for 30% of all recalls and were all Class I. Finfish comprised 70% of the recall incidents, and salmon was the single most recalled species (22%). Improper cold smoking treatment that resulted in Listeria monocytogenes contamination was the most common reason reported for the salmon recalls. The goal of this review is to evaluate the main causes for food safety failures within the seafood manufacturing and distribution sectors. Human errors and failures to control food safety risks during the processing of food are the main driving factors for most reported recalls in the U.S. Properly applying the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) approach and procedures are needed to identify the potential food safety risks. The key to reducing the risks of human error and loss of process control is the development and implementation of an effective food safety culture program at the manufacturing facility, which must require strong senior management support at corporate and enterprise levels.

Detection of Parvalbumin Fish Allergen in Canned Tuna by Real-Time PCR Driven by Tuna Species and Can-Filling Medium

Canned tuna is considered one of the most popular and most commonly consumed products in the seafood market, globally. However, in past decades, fish allergens have been detected as the main concern regarding food safety in these seafood products and are listed as the top eight food allergies. In the group of fish allergens, parvalbumin is the most common. As a thermally stable and calcium-binding protein, parvalbumin can be easily altered with changing the food matrices. This study investigated the effect of a can-filling medium (tomato sauce, spices, and brine solutions) on the parvalbumin levels in canned tuna. The effect of pH, calcium content, and the DNA quality of canned tuna was also investigated before the parvalbumin-specific encoded gene amplification. The presence of fish allergens was determined by melting curve analyses and confirmed by agarose gel electrophoresis. The obtained results showed that the presence of parvalbumin in commercially canned tuna was driven by can-filling mediums, thermal conductivity, calcium content, and the acidity of various ingredients in food matrices. The intra-specific differences revealed a variation in fish allergens that are caused by cryptic species. This study proved that allergens encoding gene analyses by agarose electrophoresis could be used as a reliable approach for other food-borne allergens in complex food matrices.

Domestic and Imported Food Product Recalls in Japan: Trend Analysis and Preventive Measures

In Japan, 700–800 food products are recalled each year. Food product recalls affect consumer health as well as businesses, depending on the content and scale of the recalls. Approximately 10% of food loss from food manufacturers was generated in 2018 and 2019. In Japan, food product recalls and measures to prevent them have not been sufficiently studied. Therefore, to investigate this issue, about 2300 recalls instigated by regulatory bodies in Japan from 2018 to 2020 were classified based on product category, responsibility, reason for recall, and violation of laws and regulations, and the trends were analyzed. Recalls were primarily associated with violation of the Food Sanitation Law and Food Labeling Act, due to contamination by microorganisms or foreign materials, mis- or non-declaration of expiration or best-before date, and mis- or non-labeling of allergens. Therefore, better management by adopting the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point and food safety management systems as preventive measures and the design review of ISO 9001: 2018 may be effective in reducing recalls. Moreover, better communication between manufacturing and importing countries to ensure compliance with laws on safety limits of ingredients and label preparation may reduce the number of recalls.