1. Importance of seafood and aquatic product testing:

• The fishery is a  general term referring to the resources and products brought to humans from the aquatic environment and exploited by humans, cultured,  harvested,  used as food, raw materials, or sold on the market.
• Vietnam is the third-largest seafood exporter in the world after China and Norway thanks to early access to a sizable market and high export turnover each year. In order to assure food safety for this item and improve quality to increase competitiveness in the global market, product quality control of aquatic products and aquatic products is required. The structure of the seafood exports from our nation is extremely varied and rich, ranging from raw, frozen items that must be processed before use to products with added value that may be consumed right away or simply require preheating when using.
• Popular aquatic species: Fish, crustaceans, mollusks, seaweed,…
• Other aquatic products: Canned seafood, fish sauce, dried, and fish oil, …

2. Some legal documents and standards stipulate:

• Circular 15/2009/TT-BNN: List of chemicals and antibiotics banned from use in aquatic product production and trading.
• Circular 24/2013/TT-BYT: Regulating the maximum limit of veterinary drug residues in food.
• Circular 10/2016/TT-BNNPTNT: List of banned veterinary drugs
• QCVN 8-2:2011/BYT: National technical regulation on limits of heavy metal contamination in food
• QCVN 8-3: 2012/BYT: National technical regulation on microbial contamination in food
• Decision 46/2007/QD/BYT: Regulations on maximum limits of biological and chemical contamination in food
• Circular 24:2019/TT/BYT: Management of the management and use of food additives
• Decision 3649/QD-BNN-CLTY: On the inspection of chemicals, food additives used in the preservation and processing of seafood and the rate of glazing in frozen seafood products
• TCVN 5107:2018: Fish sauce
• TCVN 8338:2010: Frozen pangasius fillet
• TCVN 4381:2009: Frozen fresh headless shrimp
• TCVN 12614:2019: Frozen black tiger shrimp and white leg shrimp
• TCVN 8335:2010: Fresh frozen squid for instant consumption.

3. List of test items:
   • Microbiological indicators:

• Analysis to determine the limit of microbiological contamination (total number of aerobic microorganisms, Coliforms, E.coli, Salmonella, Total number of yeasts – molds, …)
• Testing for aquatic diseases: White spot (WSSV), Yellow head (YHV1), Taura syndrome virus (TSV), Subcortical and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV), …
  • Chemical specifications:
• Sensory (state, color, smell, taste)
• Impurities (Starch, PVA, CMC, Adao, Agar and Gelatin)
• Nutritional indicators: DHA, Omega 3, Omega 6, Omega 9, amino acids, Protein, Lipid, …
• Heavy metal content: Pb, Cd, As, Hg, …
• Analysis of growth hormone residues and veterinary drugs (Beta Agonist, Testosterone, Progesterone, Macrolide and Lincosamide, …)
• Analysis of group antibiotics:
• Flouroquinolone: Enrofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Flumequin, Danofloxacin, Difloxacin, Ofloxacin, Levofloxacin, Sarafloxacin, Norfloxacin, …
• Sulfonamide: Sulfamethazine (Sulfadimidine), Sulfamethoxazole, Sulfadiazine, Sulfathiazole, Sulfadimethoxine, Sulfamerazine, Sulfamethoxypyridazine, Sulfadoxine, Sulfachinoxalin, Sulfachloropyridazine, Sulfisoxazole, Sulfamonomethoxine, Sulfaphenazole, Sulfabenzamide, Sulfapyridine.
• Amphenicol: Chlopramphenicol, Florfenicol, Thiamphenicol.
• Tetracycline: Tetracycline, Chlorotetracycline, Doxycycline, Oxytetracycline.
• Nitroinidazole: Dimetridazole, Metronidazole, Metronidazole-hydroxyl, Ronidazole, Tinidazole, Ipronidazole, Ipronidazolehydroxyl (IPZ-OH), Metronidazole-hydroxy (MNZ-OH).
• Malachite green: Malachite green (MG), Leucomalachite green (LMG), Crystal violet (CV), Leucocrystal violet (LCV).
• Nitrofuran and metabolites: Furazolidone, AOZ, AMOZ, AHD, SEM, …
• Pesticides: Trifluraline, Chlorpyrifos, Fipronil, Cypermethrin, Permethrin, Carbendazim, Dichlorvos, …
• Other poisons: Histamine, Urea, Formadehyde, ….
• Food additives: Orhophosphate/ Monophosphate/ PO ₄ ^3-, Polyphosphate (Diphosphate, Triphosphate, and Trimetaphosphate), …

4. Analytical sample background:

TSL provides seafood and aquatic product testing services for all sample subjects:

• Aquatic ingredients (Crawfish, shrimp, squid, crab, …)
• Seafood products: grilled chopped fish, grilled chopped shrimp, grilled chopped squid, Surimi, …
• Canned food: Canned fish with tomato sauce, …
• Fish sauce

5. Analytical device:

• In order to promptly meet the needs of customers and improve the quality of seafood and aquatic product testing activities, TSL has equipped with modern and synchronous analytical equipment:
• Instruments for measuring physical parameters: pH.
• Molecular absorption spectrophotometer (UV-Vis).
• Ion chromatography (IC) system.
• Liquid chromatography system with probes (HPLC/DAD/FLD, UPLC/DAD/FLD/RID) and liquid chromatography coupled mass spectrometry (LC/MSMS).
• Gas chromatography systems (GC/FID/ECD) and gas chromatography coupled mass spectrometry (GC/MSMS).
• Atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) system.
• Atomic emission spectrometer system (ICP – OES) and ICP – MS system.

6. Analytical method:

• All analytical procedures used to test seafood and aquatic products at TSL are referenced to standard methods of Vietnam and common standards in the world such as TCVN, QCVN, AOAC, ISO , JECFA, … and all these processes are surveyed and validated in accordance with ISO 17025.
• All methods are tested to assess staff skills, participate in inter-departmental comparisons and implement domestic and international PT programs.
• The majority of analytical methods are accredited to ISO 17025 by AOSC.
• In addition, TSL is also appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development – Director of the Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Management Department as a testing agency for state management with the following certificates: 249/QD-QLCL and 74/QD-QLCL.