title: Benefits and risks associated with consumption of raw, cooked, and canned tuna (Thunnus spp.) based on the bioaccessibility of selenium and methylmercury.
abstract: The Se, Hg, and methylmercury (MeHg) levels in raw, cooked (boiled and grilled), and canned tuna (Thunnus spp.) were determined before and after an in vitro digestion, thereby enabling the calculation of the respective bioaccessibility percentages. A risk-benefit evaluation of raw and canned tuna on the basis of the Se and MeHg data was performed. Selenium bioaccessibility was high in tuna, though slightly lower in canned than in raw products. Mercury levels were high in raw and cooked tuna. Hg bioaccessibility percentages were low (39-48%) in the cooked tuna and even lower (<20%) in canned tuna. For the bioaccessible fraction, all molar Se:MeHg ratios were higher than one (between 10 and 74). A probabilistic assessment of MeHg risk vs Se benefit showed that while a weekly meal of canned tuna presents very low risk, raw, boiled, and grilled tuna consumption should not exceed a monthly meal, at least, for pregnant and nursing women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sea and Marine Resources, Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA, IP), Av. Brasília 1449-006 Lisbon, Portugal; CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: cafonso@ipma.pt.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Afonso
authors.affiliation: Department of Sea and Marine Resources, Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA, IP), Av. Brasília 1449-006 Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: BioAtlantis, Ltd., Kerry Technology Park, Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. Electronic address: carlos_l_cardoso@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.affiliation: Department of Sea and Marine Resources, Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA, IP), Av. Brasília 1449-006 Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Department of Sea and Marine Resources, Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA, IP), Av. Brasília 1449-006 Lisbon, Portugal; CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Lourenço
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Sciences and Engineering, University of Cabo Verde, R. Julião Postal Box 163, S. Vicente, Cape Verde.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Viula
authors.affiliation: Department of Sea and Marine Resources, Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA, IP), Av. Brasília 1449-006 Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.affiliation: Food and Nutrition Department, National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA, IP), Av. Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Coelho
authors.affiliation: Department of Sea and Marine Resources, Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA, IP), Av. Brasília 1449-006 Lisbon, Portugal; CIIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas 289, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Nunes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001682:Biological Availability; D003296:Cooking; D004063:Digestion; D005519:Food Preservation; D006801:Humans; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008954:Models, Biological; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017747:Seafood / Q000032:analysis*; D012643:Selenium / Q000032:analysis* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D014413:Tuna / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008767:Methylmercury Compounds; D012643:Selenium
keywords: Bioaccessibility; Mercury; Methylmercury; Risk–benefit assessment; Selenium; Tuna