• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.276-281
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• 2007

The toxicity of two species of puffer fish, Takifugu xanthopterus and T. stictonotus, collected from coastal regions of Korea, was determined using a mouse bioassay. The highest toxin scores in the muscle, skin, fins, and testis in both species were below 50 mouse units (MU) per gram, and for each organ of both species the proportion of toxic specimens containing ${\geq}10MU/g$ was less than about 10%. In T. xanthopterus, the highest toxin levels in the liver, gallbladder, and ovary exceeded 1,000 MU/g (1,275-1,910), while less than 200 MU/g (12-136) was detected in the same organs of T. stictonotus. Therefore, the toxicities of muscle, skin, and testis in both species of puffer fish were within acceptable levels for human consumption.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.725-732
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• 2013

To identify the food component characteristics of seven edible pufferfishes (five wild pufferfishes including striped puffer Takifugu xanthopterus; eyespot puffer Takifugu chinensis; purple puffer Takifugu porphyreus; rough-backed puffer Lagocephalus wheeleri; and grass puffer Takifugu niphobles; and two cultured pufferfishes including yellow puffer Takifugu obscurus, and tiger puffer Takifugu rubripes) in Korea, the proximate, fatty/amino acid, chemical and taste compositions were investigated. The proximate compositions were not significantly different among the sampled pufferfishes, whereas grass puffer had lower moisture and crude lipid levels contents, and higher crude protein and ash contents than the other species. The total amino acid levels in wild and cultured pufferfishes were 14,941.6-16,427.9 mg/100 g, and the major amino acids were aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, leucine, lysine and arginine. Regarding the fatty acid and mineral compositions, the major fatty acids included 22:6n-3, 16:0, 18:1n-9, 20:5n-3, 18:0, 20:4n-3, and 22:5n-3 in that order, and there was a little difference among the sampled pufferfishes. Grass puffer had a higher monoenes ratio, i.e., 16:1n-7 and 18:1n-9, and a lower polyenes ratio than the other pufferfishes. The main minerals detected K, P, Na, S and Ca. Regarding the taste-active compounds, the free amino acid contents of pufferfish extracts were 236.4-428.1 mg/100 g, consisting primarily of taurine, lysine, proline, glycine, alanine and arginine in that order. The amino nitrogen content of the pufferfishes was 84.5-156.4 mg/100 g, and there was a little difference among the species. As for taste intensity, the total taste value of the purple puffer was higher than that of the other pufferfishes.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.99-108
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• 2006

Diseased tiger puffer (Takijugu rubripes) showed anorexia and severe anemia in the gills. In wet mount preparations Heterobothrium sp. with 4 sets of clamps on the opisthohaptor attached to the gill filaments of the diseased fish. From the drum-shaped filter for filtration of the culturing water and the sediment of aquarium held the diseased fish in the laboratory, their eggs forming long strings through connection of the bipolar filaments could be easily collected. The parasites with 4 pairs of clamps on the opisthohaptor were 2.38mm in length and 0.71 mm in width, but had no isthmus which was separated the opisthohapor from the body proper. The parasites could be easily distinguished from Heterobothrium tetrodonis and H. okamotoi in the absence of distinct isthmus, and resembled H. yamagutii described from the gills of Takifugu xanthopterus in Japan. Their eggs were yellowish spindle in shape and 180-200 x 5-6 Iffil in size, which were pointed at both ends. The eggs were linked to adjacent egg shells like a string of beads by the filaments. Onchomiracidia, ciliated larvae spawned from the eggs were 133 Iffil (120-146 Iffil) x 751ffil (68-80 Iffil) in size. The length of the ciliates was 12 Iffil in the anterior part of the larvae and 14 Iffil in the posterior part. Round or leaf-shaped young parasites attached on the secondary gill lamellae. There was a tendency that most of round smaller parasites without an opisthohaptor were found in the middle part of the gill lamellae while leaf-shaped larger ones with a opisthohaptor attached on the distal part of the gill filaments. Each clamp of mature parasites grasped one secondary gill filament which resulted in bending of the filaments and hyperplasia of the epithelium and mucous cells. In the branchial cavity around the pseudobranch, mature parasites grasped the adjacent ones by means of the clamps, and the epithelia of the branchial cavity around the parasites showed severe irregular hyperplasia and erosion with strongly PAS-positive mucous cells.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.464-475
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• 2023

In this study, based on an analysis of two DNA barcode markers (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and cytochrome b genes), we performed species identification and monitored labeling compliance for 50 commercial pufferfish products sold in on-line markets in Korea. Using these barcode sequences as a query for species identification and phylogenetic analysis, we screened the GenBank database. A total of seven pufferfish species (Takifugu chinensis, T. pseudommus, T. xanthopterus, T. alboplumbeus, T. porphyreus, T. vermicularis, and Lagocephalus cheesemanii) were identified and we detected 35 products (70%) that were non-compliant with the corresponding label information. Moreover, the labels on 12 commercial products contained only the general common name (i.e., pufferfish), although not the scientific or Korean names for the 21 edible pufferfish species. Furthermore, the proportion of mislabeled highly processed products (n = 9, 81.8%) was higher than that of simply processed products (n = 26, 66.7%). With respect to the country of origin, the percentage of mislabeled Chinese products (n = 8, 80%) was higher than that of Korean products (n = 26, 66.7%). In addition, the market and dialect names of different pufferfish species were labeled only as Jolbok or Milbok, whereas two non-edible pufferfish species (T. vermicularis and T. pseudommus) were used in six commercial pufferfish products described as JolboK and Gumbok on their labels, which could be attributable to the complex classification system used for pufferfish. These monitoring results highlight the necessity to develop genetic methods that can be used to identify the 21 edible pufferfish species, as well as the need for regulatory monitoring of commercial pufferfish products.