RFE PAGES Abbreviated Tutorial - US FDA

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Seafood Products Research Center, Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition
San Francisco District Laboratory, and Seattle District Laboratory
Seafood/RFE

RFE Background Information including RFE PAGES Information Containers
Tutorial and RFE data preparation descriptions.

Generalized RFE Description and Experimental Parameters
Extended Fish Photographic and Imaging Parameters
Specific isoelectric focusing (IEF) Experimental Parameters for Acquisiton and Imaging
See the Anatomy of an RFE IEF gel
Comments on Taxonomy and Independent Authentication
Comments on DNA methods for fish
Contact RFE Personnel

Regulatory Fish Encyclopedia -- Abbreviated Tutorial
The World Wide Web Implementation of the Regulatory Fish Encyclopedia	Image Example
The Seafood Products Research Center (SPRC), SEA-DO, SAN-DO, and CFSAN have collaborated to create the Regulatory Fish Encyclopedia (RFE) Website at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/rfe0.html. The RFE, as a government service, uses the Internet and the graphical World Wide Web to disperse fish species information within and outside of FDA. The RFE is built upon the concept of the highly expandable "RFE PAGE" information container. An RFE PAGE is dedicated to a combination of pictorial, textual, graphical and numerical data for the theme of that page. For instance, RFE PAGE 0, General Browser, shows the top page of the RFE and links to available fish species.	RFE 0: General Browser
The RFE Website pairs fish images with biochemical "fingerprint" patterns for widespread use. This helps the public, private and educational sectors, as "Internet Consumers" of the RFE. American consumers potentially lose millions of dollars per year due to seafood economic fraud through species substitution. The use of the RFE will reduce these fraudulent practices and save consumers money. By publishing on the World Wide Web, the RFE information is available to a far wider internationl readership at a reduced cost to the government. In this frame, RFE PAGE 0, Species Specific Browser to Pacific cod, indicates links to the various information pages available for this species.	RFE PAGE 0: Species Specific Browser
RFE PAGE 1 contains high quality images (drum scanned from high quality 4" x 5" photographic transparencies) of finfish in the round and in market form. Several market product forms are viewable. Internet Users from over 30 countries access the RFE Website monthly. Three hundred unique users a month from all over the world download over 7500 images on a monthly basis. Educational and Trade Journals have asked and been granted permission to download and publish hardcopy images.	RFE PAGE 1a: Pacific Cod in the Round RFE PAGE 1b: Pacific Cod Fillets
RFE PAGE 2 provides general information for the species including geographical distribution, nomenclature variation, associated health risks in HACCP Guidebook (under construction) and other miscellaneous market information.	RFE PAGE 2: Nomenclature and General Information
RFE PAGE 3 provides detailed taxonomic information for the species of interest. As in the example, details are provided for head size and proportion. Features that are species unique are provided to aid in species identification. Internally, the RFE is a quick way for FDA scientists and inspectors to compare species in the lab and the docks to authentic specimens by their physical appearance and biochemical fingerprints for inference and deduction in economic fraud investigations. This is particularly useful when only fillets are available in the lab for identification.	RFE PAGE 3: Taxonomy
A key feature of the RFE that distinguishes it from other fish references is the inclusion of species biochemical pattern information in RFE PAGE 4. Currently included are the isoelectric focusing protein patterns for the pH range 3-10 for fresh, frozen, uncooked seafood based on AOAC 980.16, although a detailed data stamp on each gel image reflects the experimental conditions. (Under construction are methods to add DNA fingerprinting information.)	RFE PAGE 4: PAGplate IEF
RFE PAGE 5 contains numerical and graphical tools used to examine IEF protein fingerprint patterns. Potential substitutions are confirmed from protein patterns for selected species using graphical and numerical tools for pattern matching between specimen patterns. Through the RFE project, FDA also maintains a National Fish Tissue Collection for the acquisition of authentic species used in validation experiments in the lab. The RFE site is hypertext cross-linked with http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/seaintro.html (the FDA Seafood List site put on-line by another FDA Seafood Team from CFSAN) which provides US FDA approved market names for Seafood. Worldwide users of the Internet may browse the top page of the RFE . Upon selecting the commercially relevant species of choice, users can proceed through a variety of information that is currently available for that species. There are now 94 species available with information that can assist in the identification of species substitution or assist in species education.	RFE PAGE 5a: Calibrated Gel RFE PAGE 5b: Similar Species Comparison

For addition information please Contact RFE Personnel.

Thank you for using the Regulatory Fish Encyclopedia (RFE)!

RFE Species Browse (Top Page) | Seafoods Top Page | CFSAN Home Page

last updated on 2003-FEB-27 by bjt/frf/nln