Donna-Mareè Cawthorn

Queensland Government · Department of Agriculture and Fisheries

Despite the expressed interest of Canadians in sustainable and comprehensively labelled seafood, the country’s seafood labelling requirements remain scant and naming conventions in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) ‘fish list’ allow the grouping of multiple species under single ‘umbrella’ terms. Here, we test the extent to which CFIA listi...

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis emanating both from a virus (SARS-CoV-2) and from the drastic actions to contain it. Here, we reflect on the immediate responses of most world powers amid the pandemic chaos: totalitarian surveillance and nationalist isolation. Drawing on published literature, we consider measures such as wildlife-use bans,...

Although fallow deer are abundant in South Africa, these cervids remain undervalued as a domestic protein source and little information exists on their meat quality. This study aimed to evaluate the proximate and mineral compositions of the meat from wild fallow deer (n = 6 male, n = 6 female) harvested in South Africa, as affected by sex and muscl...

Seafood mislabelling is a global issue that affects consumers, target species, and the ability to manage fisheries. Due to their high demand and value, groupers (Epinephelinae spp.) are frequent targets for fraudulent substitution on the world's major seafood markets. Yet, little is known on the prevalence of grouper mislabelling in the Wider Carib...

Although wild fallow deer (Dama dama) are abundant in South Africa, they remain overlooked as a potential protein source and little is known about their carcass production potential. Our study aimed to determine the carcass characteristics, meat yields and offal contributions of fallow deer harvested in South Africa, as well as the effect of sex th...

The meat of wild species, referred to in this report as 'wild meat', is an essential source of protein and a generator of income for millions of forest-living communities in tropical and subtropical regions. However, unsustainable harvest rates currently endanger the integrity of ecosystems and threaten the livelihoods of many vulnerable households...

Consumers have the power to influence conservation of marine fishes by selectively purchasing sustainably harvested species. Yet, this power is hindered by vague labeling and seafood fraud, which may mask market biodiversity and lead to inadvertent consumption of threatened species. Here, we investigate the repercussions of such labeling inaccuraci...

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML version of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.

Physical meat quality measurements were conducted on the longissimus thoracis et lumborum, biceps femoris, semimembranosus, semitendinosus, infraspinatus and supraspinatus muscles from male (n=6) and female (n=6) fallow deer (Dama dama) harvested in South Africa. Ultimate pH (pHu), drip loss, cooking loss and shear force values were influenced (p≤0...

Ilegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and seafood supply chain fraud are multifaceted problems that demand multifaceted solutions. Here, we investigate the extent to which global fisheries trade data analyses can support effective seafood traceability and promote sustainable seafood markets using one of the world’s most highly prized, ye...

Recently, Stawitz et al. (2016) collated existing primary literature on DNA identification of finfish products and conducted a series of analyses to explore the environmental and economic ripples of species substitution. While we agree that the assessment of the impacts of seafood mislabelling is paramount, we show that the main conclusion of the s...

The various national and regional regulatory requirements for seafood provide critical guidance for its harvest and sale. DNA analysis can often help industry to meet these requirements, both for local sale and for exporting products, and regulators to enforce them. When specific regulations are not in place, regulations from other regions may be h...

Background: The meat from African game species is healthy, naturally produced and increasingly popular with consumers. Among these, zebra (Equus quagga burchellii) are growing in number in South Africa, with the meat from surplus animals holding potential to contribute to food security and economic stability. Despite being consumed locally and glo...

Background: Seafood mislabeling has emerged as a globally pervasive problem, posing serious economic, health, and environmental concerns. While DNA sequencing holds great promise for species authentication monitoring, such methods must be backed up by robust reference DNA sequence databases and statistically-sound sample collection protocols to tra...

An overview is presented describing the human usage of exotic animal species (including birds, buffalo, camels, deer, game animals, goats, rabbits, rodents, reptiles, kangaroos, and yaks) around the world, which are derived either from wild harvesting or farming. The production systems are discussed with particular emphasis on the challenges and op...

An overview is presented describing the characteristics of the meat (game and venison) obtained from various land animals and birds that are not conventionally considered domesticated. The species discussed include those derived from wild harvesting or farming, such as game birds, deer, antelope, kangaroos, rabbits, and wild Suid species, as well a...

Tracking the movement of seafood products from “boat to plate” is a key requirement for achieving sustainable fisheries, securing a viable and legal seafood industry, and safeguarding the livelihoods of communities dependent on fisheries. Without adequate traceability systems to monitor trade it is challenging for seafood companies, consumers and g...

Knowledge on the chemical composition of foods, and on the variation in such components as influenced by endogenous factors, is required for nutritional labelling, dietetic planning and food processing. This study examined the effects of endogenous factors (gender, size and life-cycle stage) on the chemical components (proximate, amino acid, fatty...

Due to their high market value, meat products are often targets for species substitution and adulteration. DNA-based methods are recognized as the most appropriate means to detect such fraudulent practices, however, these have not been extensively employed for the authentication of meat products available in South Africa. The aim of this study was...

• An overview is presented on the global human usage of unconventional animal species (ungulates, rodents, rabbits and hares, kangaroos, reptiles and bats) derived either from wild harvesting or farming • The nutritional value of these species is discussed, focusing on their potential to contribute to food security and to address the protein requir...

The development of DNA-based methods for the identification of fish species is important for fisheries research and control, as well as for the detection of unintentional or fraudulent species substitutions in the marketplace. The aim of this study was to generate a comprehensive reference database of DNA sequences from the mitochondrial 16S and 12...

The limitations intrinsic to morphology-based identification systems have created an urgent need for reliable genetic methods that enable the unequivocal recognition of fish species, particularly those that are prone to overexploitation and/or market substitution. The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive reference library of DNA sequenc...

This study describes the comparison of five DNA extraction methods (urea-SDS-proteinase K; phenol-chloroform; salt extraction; SureFood® PREP Allergen kit and Wizard® Genomic DNA Purification kit) in terms of their ability to extract high yields of pure, readily amplifiable DNA from the muscle tissue of 29 fish species available in South Africa. Al...

Cronobacter spp. are opportunistic foodborne pathogens associated with infections in neonates and infants, particularly those that are premature or immunocompromised. Outbreaks of Cronobacter infections in infants have been epidemiologically linked to the consumption of contaminated powdered infant formulae. Since the designation of Enterobacter sa...

Individuals with allergies and intolerances to grain products rely on accurate food labelling to prevent potentially life-threatening reactions. The aim of this study was to evaluate a number of South African food products for gluten and wheat to ascertain whether these products may pose a risk to celiac and/or wheat allergic individuals. Twenty-fi...

Enterobacter sakazakii is an emerging pathogen associated with life-threatening neonatal infections resulting from the consumption of contaminated powdered infant formula milk (IFM). Recent taxonomic analyses have determined that E. sakazakii comprises a number of genomospecies, and it has been proposed that E. sakazakii be reclassified as a novel...

The detection of viable Enterobacter sakazakii cells is important due to the association of this pathogen with outbreaks of life-threatening neonatal infections. The aim of this study was to optimize a PCR-based method for selective detection of only viable Ent. sakazakii cells in the presence of dead cells, utilizing propidium monoazide (PMA) or e...

This paper addresses some of the requirements of modern consumers for fresh and processed meats. A focus is placed on the sensory quality attributes of meat tenderness, juiciness, flavour and odour and how these relate to the needs of the consumer. At the same time, cognizance is taken of the currentrequirements for healthy and nutritious food prod...