The Caribbean Red Snapper (Pargo) Lutjanus purpureus is the most economically important snapper in Brazil, which is sold, among other forms, as frozen fillets. 142 samples were collected between March 2013 to October 2014 from supermarkets in the State of Pará, North Brazil, which were processed by a single supplier. These were analysed using a DNA method, which sequenced a 600-bp fragment corresponding to the barcode portion of COI gene to identify the fillets, with the aid of sequences from the public and control databases. Only L. purpureus and L. campechanus can be denominated “Pargo” in Brazil, but the results found that 22% of the samples were Rhomboplites aurorubens, a snapper with low commercial value in the country, revealing commercial fraud.
Read the full paper at: Caribbean red snapper substitution
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