The influence of industrial-scale canning on cadmium and lead levels in sardines and anchovies from commercial fishing centres of the Mediterranean Sea.
The current study encompassed a survey on the levels of toxic trace elements in two highly consumed fish species in commercial fishing centres of western, central and eastern Mediterranean Sea. A Zeeman GTA-AAS graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry system was used throughout the study. Toxicological evaluation of the samples revealed a low Cd content in the raw samples, ranging between 0.003 and 0.027 mg kg⁻¹. Pb presented significantly higher values, from 0.037 to 0.297 mg kg⁻¹, occasionally reaching the limit of 0.3 mg kg⁻¹. Heavy metal levels were particularly higher in bones, thus raising queries about the safe consumption of fish intended to be eaten as a whole, a very common practice for small fish and canned products. The influence of industrial-scale canning showed that canning enhanced heavy metal levels by 35%-80%. The effect of canning depended on metal type and reduction of moisture loss after the steam-roasting step of the canning procedure.
a Department of Chemistry , University of Ioannina , Ioannina , Greece.
Augoustina
A
Galitsopoulou
Dimitrios
D
Georgantelis
Michael
M
Kontominas
D053000:Analytic Sample Preparation Methods; D000818:Animals; D057205:Automation, Laboratory; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D002104:Cadmium / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D004032:Diet / Q000208:ethnology; D005399:Fishes / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D005506:Food Contamination; D005513:Food Inspection; D005519:Food Preservation; D057141:Food, Preserved / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D057230:Limit of Detection; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D017747:Seafood / Q000032:analysis*; D012621:Seasons; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002104:Cadmium; D007854:Lead
cadmium; canned fish; environmental contaminants; fish and fish products; heavy metals; lead