Food · Fermented foods

Mebachi-maguro (Bigeye Tuna)

めばちまぐろ (Mebachi-maguro)

Also known as: Mebachi-maguro, Bigeye tuna, Thunnus obesus, 目鉢鮪

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At a glance

Category	Food
Japanese labeling name	めばちまぐろ
Common Japanese notations	めばちまぐろ, 目鉢鮪, メバチマグロ, Bachi
Origin	Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus); pelagic tuna; major commercial supply for Japanese sushi/sashimi market; principal landings Pacific Ocean global; significant Japanese imports from Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, USA
Typical functions	Volume sushi/sashimi akami — major commercial sushi tuna, Mid-tier foodservice tuna
Regulatory status in Japan	Standard food labeling. Imported origin disclosure. Fish allergen recommended.

Mebachi-maguro (めばちまぐろ / 目鉢鮪) — bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) — is a major commercial Japanese sushi/sashimi tuna, mid-tier between premium honmaguro and volume kihada. Significant imports from Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, USA.

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Classification

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Product applications

Functions

Flavoring486

Regulatory tags

Culinary ingredient512

Origin

Marine-derived163

Common OEM product categories

Finished-product categories where Japanese OEM manufacturers commonly formulate with this ingredient.

Frozen mebachi-maguro sushi-grade
Fresh chilled mebachi-maguro

Ingredient profile

Thunnus obesus bigeye tuna.

OEM applications

Volume sushi/sashimi akami.

Mid-tier foodservice.

For OEM: sushi-grade ingredient supply.

Regulatory classification in Japan

Standard food labeling. Imported origin disclosure. Fish allergen recommended.

Regulatory classification in other markets

EU	Major established global bigeye trade.
USA	Major US bigeye industry. Established sushi market.
China	Major global trade.
Korea	Established Korean trade.

Market reference formulations

Example finished products will be added after verification.

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Seasonality & supply calendar

Harvest months: Wild: year-round (longline)
Peak supply: October – January (high-fat winter sashimi grade)
Off-season: Continuous supply via deep-frozen longline stock

Source: 水産庁 / WCPFC (中西部太平洋まぐろ類委員会) stock assessment. Bigeye tuna is the volume mid-grade sashimi tuna in Japanese supermarkets.

Storage requirements

How the receiving OEM facility needs to handle inbound raw material.

Temperature: Super-frozen −60°C for sashimi-grade; standard −18°C for canning grade
Conditions: Whole-frozen with bagging or fillet vacuum-packed
Shelf life: −60°C: 12+ months; −18°C: 6 months

Supply concentration

Where this ingredient comes from — useful for single-source-risk planning.

Primary regions: Wild caught primarily off Indonesia, Philippines, Pacific; Japanese landings via Yaizu / Misaki
Import dependence: Majority imported (long-line tuna fleet harvest)

WCPFC (中西部太平洋まぐろ類委員会) / 水産庁

Certifications commonly available

Certification schemes commonly obtainable for this raw material. Always confirm the specific supplier's current certificate before contracting.

Scheme	Availability
MSC	Rare	Most bigeye fisheries are not MSC-certified
Halal	Inherent
Kosher	Inherent

Documented adulteration risks

Known fraud / adulteration patterns reported by regulators or industry bodies. Specify CoA params and screening tests on every PO.

Mislabeled as honmaguro in supermarket sashimi grade
WCPFC quota / IUU concerns in some Pacific fishing fleets

Detection: DNA species ID + WCPFC (中西部太平洋まぐろ類委員会) catch documentation

水産庁 / WCPFC (中西部太平洋まぐろ類委員会) stock assessment

Alternative ingredients

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Quick answers

What is Mebachi-maguro (Bigeye Tuna)?: Mebachi-maguro (めばちまぐろ / 目鉢鮪) — bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) — is a major commercial Japanese sushi/sashimi tuna, mid-tier between premium honmaguro and volume kihada. Significant imports from Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, USA.
What is the regulatory status of Mebachi-maguro (Bigeye Tuna) in Japan?: Standard food labeling. Imported origin disclosure. Fish allergen recommended.
What products typically use Mebachi-maguro (Bigeye Tuna)?: Frozen mebachi-maguro sushi-grade / Fresh chilled mebachi-maguro
Where does Mebachi-maguro (Bigeye Tuna) come from?: Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus); pelagic tuna; major commercial supply for Japanese sushi/sashimi market; principal landings Pacific Ocean global; significant Japanese imports from Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, USA
What is the INCI / JSCI labeling name for Mebachi-maguro (Bigeye Tuna)?: JSCI: めばちまぐろ

Substitutes

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Official regulatory databases

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MEXT 食品成分DB（検索） ↗

References

文部科学省 (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) Standard Tables of Food Composition — めばちまぐろ各形態

Last updated: 2026-04-28. Ingredient entries are reviewed at least annually against current regulatory listings.