Florida State University’s faculty and staff are driven to positively shape the lives of everyday consumers – recording countless hours in research areas that affect many industries and create life-changing advancements.
Associate Professor Prashant Singh, one of the nation’s most accomplished food safety microbiologists, is an example of FSU’s research meeting real-world impact. With the help of partnering company SeaD Consulting and his own research team, Singh’s rapid DNA test that reveals whether the shrimp we eat is domestic or imported is impacting several communities.
Many consumers take pride in supporting local food industries. In Florida, Georgia and Louisiana, several restaurants were found to mislabel their shrimp as fresh from the coast, while Singh’s rapid test showed they were imported from other countries.
The Louisiana Illuminator uncovered four seafood restaurants in Lafayette, La., as deceptively serving foreign shrimp. In New Orleans, 21 out of 24 restaurants sold authentic shrimp, whereas most Tampa restaurants used misleading practices with shrimp sourced from elsewhere.
Most recently, it was discovered that only 10 of 47 samples from shrimp dishes served at 44 Savannah restaurants were American species according to Singh and SeaD Consulting. The report was part of an extensive feature by The Current, detailing a sponsored bill in the Georgia General Assembly that would require notification of the country of origin of seafood items. A similar push has been made in Louisiana’s state legislature.
Singh’s rapid DNA test is having a seismic effect, bringing business back to U.S. shrimpers, providing peace of mind to customers and putting restaurants under the microscope to ensure they’re actually serving the freshest seafood possible.
“Since the deployment of the shrimp testing method, it has been a real pleasure to see the positive changes that have occurred over the last six months in the domestic shrimp industry,” Singh said. “The demand for domestic shrimp is increasing, as is the price, which is benefiting U.S. domestic shrimping communities. Last year, these shrimpers had a lot of unsold inventory, but this year, they are getting sold out. This positive change has made me truly happy and satisfied with the impact we’ve been able to make.”
Singh’s own rapid rise in the food safety industry came when he worked at the National Dairy Research Institute in Karnal, India, from 2007 to 2010. He realized his passion for the development of assays – a component of food safety lab procedures – and has remained steadfast to the mission statement he outlined for himself while attending Delhi University.
“Realizing my true passion has been the driving force on which I built my research program at Florida State University,” Singh added.
Singh’s educational background originates from his upbringing in the Nalanda district of India, where agriculture is the backbone of the economy. Growing up there significantly contributed to his current recognition for revitalizing the domestic shrimp industry.
Although imported shrimp is more affordable and cost-effective for restaurants, it often poses questions regarding its quality and potential chemical treatments. Members of the industry called upon Singh’s shrimp authenticity test – first developed two years ago – to uncover what diners were really eating.
“One of the unique aspects of my research program is that for every project, I build collaborations with experts from academia, food processing plants, federal agencies, stakeholders and FSU Commercialization,” Singh said. “This wide range of expertise acts as an advisory board and teaches me aspects that are not written in the published literature. This approach has enabled me to identify research problems that need to be solved and develop solutions that the industry will be open to adopting.”
Singh’s contributions were recently highlighted in an article by USA Today. Additionally, he was featured in an extensive piece by the Tallahassee Democrat, which was syndicated to 15 statewide outlets. Louisiana and Georgia media widely covered him due to his test’s impact on Gulf Coast shrimpers and diners.
His rapid DNA test results sparked a broader discussion on social media, boosting his research’s visibility.
“Being able to put Florida State University’s name in the news makes me happy. I can do all this work because FSU gave me an opportunity, and the department, college and FSU Office of Commercialization provided me with a strong support system to succeed,” Singh said.
“Being able to put Florida State University’s name in the news makes me happy. I can do all this work because FSU gave me an opportunity, and the department, college and FSU Office of Commercialization provided me with a strong support system to succeed.” – Prashant Singh
“The most important thing for me is having a real-world application and impact; nothing else matters.”
The work has just begun for Singh. He remains committed to ensuring that diners receive exactly what they have paid for. Singh believes there are also substitution issues for domestic crawfish, snapper and grouper – further hurting those particular fishing communities.
Testing continues for those commodity groups, as well as testing for E. coli in the beef industry and salmonella in poultry. Singh has collaborated with large meat and poultry process companies and food testing labs to ensure his practice meets all safety standards with conclusive results.
By putting research into action, Singh is bringing business back to U.S. shrimpers and confidence back to the consumer.
His rapid DNA test reaffirms that at Florida State University, one breakthrough discovery can change the world.