Combined use of stable isotope analysis and elemental profiling to determine provenance of black tiger prawns (Penaeus monodon)

Global demand for seafood is rising, with a commensurate increase in supply from farmed and wild-caught products. Determining seafood provenance is important to reduce food fraud, and food safety and biosecurity risks. DNA and fatty acid profiling cannot independently distinguish between farmed, wild-caught and geographic origins of seafood. This study applied stable isotope analysis (SIA) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF), using Itrax, to test their effectiveness as tools to distinguish the origin and production methods of black tiger prawns (Penaeus monodon) from a range of Asia-Pacific locations. Isotopic and elemental data (31 elements) were analysed using multivariate methods, linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and randomForest. LDA and randomForest had consistent results: XRF effectively distinguished the production method and geographic origin of P. monodon (up to 100% accuracy), while SIA had a lower accuracy (up to 95% accuracy). However, SIA and XRF are effective complementary methods for determining provenance of black tiger prawns.