University of South Florida researchers say they have a device that can settle a common dilemma faced by fishermen, seafood suppliers, warehouses and restaurateurs.

Researchers at the College of Marine Science have developed a handheld sensor that can help determine if consumers are getting what they paid for. The sensor that can test fish to make sure it matches what's on the label.

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"It's estimated that mislabeled seafood is a $25 billion-a-year enterprise. That $25 billion comes out of U.S. fishermen and the U.S. seafood enterprise, because there's not enough testing now," said John Paul, a professor of biological oceanography at USF.

Paul and a team of researchers developed the GrouperChek (trademark pending) that analyzes seafood samples using real-time nucleic acid sequence-based amplification. A biopsy punch takes a sample of the grouper, the sample RNA is purified and it goes into a chamber that determines whether it's one of 64 species of fish allowed to be labeled "grouper."

According to a study, about 20 percent of groupers are fraudulently labeled, often substituted with inferior fish like the Asian cat fish or tilapia.

"You can take this to a warehouse or a fish house and within a high percentage of accuracy [determine] is this grouper or is [it] not grouper? If it is grouper, pass the shipment along. If it's not, OK, let's go to the FDA protocols and let's get the barcoding, which actually tells you the species of what the mislabeled fish was," said developer Robert Ulrich.

The device costs US$1,999 and it's expected to be available commercially in a few months.

TagsFish Fraud Detector, grouper, seafood, GrouperChek, handheld device