Advancing Seafood Integrity with Spectral Imaging and AI

From fraud detection to full traceability

In recent years, food fraud has become a growing concern across global supply chains, particularly in the seafood industry. High-value products, complex logistics, and limited transparency make seafood especially vulnerable to mislabelling, adulteration, and illegal processing practices.

A striking example occurred during the 2020 Belgian tuna fraud case, where authorities seized 80 tons of illegally treated tuna. Cases like this are not isolated – they reflect systemic vulnerabilities in how seafood is monitored, verified, and traded.

As highlighted by Jørgen Lerfall in his chapter “Recent Advances in Biotechnology” in Seafood 4.0: Digital, Physical, and Biological Innovations from Sea to Table, addressing these challenges requires more than traditional testing methods. It calls for a new generation of technologies, where artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced analytical tools work together to ensure authenticity, quality, and trust.

The role of spectral imaging in seafood analysis

Spectral imaging is emerging as one of the most powerful tools for non-destructive seafood analysis. Unlike conventional imaging, which captures only visual information, spectral imaging collects data across multiple wavelengths, revealing chemical and physical properties that are invisible to the human eye.

Systems like the VideometerLab and VideometerLite+ bring this capability into both laboratory and field environments.

This technology enables:

• Species identification:
  Different species reflect light uniquely across wavelengths. Spectral imaging can detect these subtle differences, helping identify mislabelled products.
• Freshness and quality assessment:
  Changes in biochemical composition, such as oxidation or microbial activity, can be detected early through spectral signatures.
• Detection of adulteration:
  Treatments like carbon monoxide exposure or added water content can alter spectral patterns, making fraud easier to detect.
• Non-destructive, rapid analysis:
  Unlike DNA-based methods (e.g., PCR), spectral imaging requires minimal sample preparation and delivers results in seconds.

When combined with AI and machine learning, spectral imaging becomes even more powerful. Algorithms can analyze large datasets to recognize patterns, classify products, and flag anomalies in real time, making it possible to scale quality control across the entire supply chain.

From laboratory precision to real-world application

Traditional biotechnological methods, such as genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, remain highly accurate for verifying seafood authenticity. However, they are often time-consuming and require specialized expertise.

Spectral imaging complements these methods by offering:

• Speed: immediate results
• Accessibility: usable by non-experts
• Portability: especially with devices like VideometerLite+

This makes it ideal for on-site inspections, whether at processing plants, ports, or retail points.

Strengthening traceability: The TraceMyFish project

From 2022 to 2024, Videometer participated in the TraceMyFish project, together with NTNU, the University of Iceland, the Agricultural University of Athens and Scio – an initiative focused on improving traceability and transparency in the seafood industry.

The project addressed a key challenge:
How can we reliably track seafood from catch to consumer while ensuring authenticity at every stage?

TraceMyFish explored the integration of advanced technologies, including spectral imaging, biotechnology, and data analytics, to:

• Enhance end-to-end traceability
• Improve fraud detection capabilities
• Enable data-driven verification systems
• Support regulatory compliance and consumer trust

Within this context, spectral imaging played a crucial role by providing rapid, non-destructive verification of seafood products at multiple points in the value chain.

By combining physical measurements (like spectral data) with digital traceability systems, the project demonstrated how the industry can move toward real-time, scalable authentication.

A smarter, more transparent seafood industry

The integration of AI and biotechnological tools represents a turning point for seafood management. As Lerfall highlights, these technologies are not just improving detection, they are reshaping how the entire system operates.

Spectral imaging solutions such as the VideometerLab and VideometerLite+ contribute to this shift by making advanced analysis:

• Faster
• More accessible
• Scalable across the supply chain

Together with initiatives like TraceMyFish, they help build a future where seafood products are not only high quality, but also verifiably authentic, traceable, and trustworthy.

Conclusion

Food fraud is, at its core, a problem of transparency. The more invisible the product journey becomes, the easier it is for fraud to occur.

Technologies that make the invisible visible, like spectral imaging, are therefore essential. They don’t just detect fraud. They help prevent it.