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The canning process has a degrading effect on DNA, making the species verification of canned tuna more challenging than for raw fish.

In this paper (open access) the authors optimised and compared three PCR approaches: real-time PCR (RT-PCR), mitochondrial control region (CR) mini-barcode, and multiplex PCR.  They tested 24 samples labelled as either albacore, yellowfin, skipjack or light tuna.

They reported RT-PCR as having the highest identification rate (100%), followed by CR mini-barcoding (33%) and multiplex PCR (29%). They consider that the success of RT-PCR may have been due to the short (<100 bp) DNA fragments targeted. In comparison, multiplex PCR and CR mini-barcoding targeted slightly longer fragments of 127–270 and∼236 base pairs, respectively. Regarding species identification, CR mini-barcoding and multiplex PCR confirmed the presence of albacoreor yellowfin tuna in several samples; however, both methods struggled with the identification of skipjack tuna.

CR mini-barcoding enabled sequencing-based detection of a range of species in the products. The authors conclude that a combination of real-time PCR and CR mini-barcoding is the optimum approach for rapid screening of target species along with sequencing-based confirmation.

Photo by Grooveland Designs on Unsplash

The Food Systems Dashboard is a new tool that aims to describe global, regional and national food systems; to assess the challenges for improving diets, nutrition and health; and to guide its users to set priorities and decide on actions.

The need for this tool was identified by Jess Fanzo at Johns Hopkins University and Lawrence Haddad at The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) in 2018 when working on the team that wrote the UN High Level Panel of Experts on Food Systems and Nutrition report. 

The data are publicly accessible via the online Dashboard, which has a well-designed and easy-to-navigate user interface, as designed by iTech Mission with user testing and feedback from our team and additional pilot testing and modifications planned following the launch. The Figure  shows how food systems data are transformed from original data sources to metadata that can be altered through data structural changes and visual mapping resulting in graphical views of data. iTech has visual information design experience across a range of platforms, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Dashboard.

The Dashboard is intended as the primary resource for decision makers to find curated, high-quality data and analytics on their country’s food systems. The data gives users insight into the state of their food systems and their effects on nutrition and health. The Dashboard also suggests parts of the food system that may require corrective action through actionable indicators. 

Read full paper.