title: Endogenous level of acetic acid in yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares): a pilot study about a possible controversy on its residue nature.
abstract: A method based on headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) followed by GC-MS analysis was developed for the determination of underivatised acetic acid in fresh tuna fish muscle. Parameters such as the fibre selected and the extraction time and temperature were optimised and the linearity, detection limits and precision of the whole analytical procedure were assessed. The method was then applied to determine the acetic acid concentration in fresh yellowfin tuna muscles (Thunnus albacares) in order to evaluate the endogenous level and its variations during the shelf life under different storage conditions. A qualitative comparison was also made with variations in histamine levels to evaluate the possibility of the joint monitoring of acetic acid and histamine to identify fish stored in poor conditions. The caudal area always had a lower content of acetic acid than the ventral area, independent of the storage time and temperature. A difference was found between the 6- and 3-day time points and day 0 at a storage temperature of 8°C and between the 6-day time point and day 0 at a storage temperature of 0°C, independent of the anatomical area of the sampled tissue. The evaluation of acetic acid could represent an important approach in the field of food safety to detect the illicit use of acetic acid as an antibacterial preservative treatment or to eliminate the unpleasant smell of trimethylamine.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Health , Animal Science and Food Safety, University of Milan , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Luca Maria
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Chiesa
authors.affiliation: a Department of Health , Animal Science and Food Safety, University of Milan , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pasquale
authors.affiliation: a Department of Health , Animal Science and Food Safety, University of Milan , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Panseri
authors.affiliation: b Department of Health Sciences , University of Catanzaro Magna Graecia , Catanzaro , Italy.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Britti
authors.affiliation: c Director of Veterinary Unit , ATS - Città Metropolitana - Milan , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malandra
authors.affiliation: a Department of Health , Animal Science and Food Safety, University of Milan , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Villa
authors.affiliation: a Department of Health , Animal Science and Food Safety, University of Milan , Milan , Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Arioli
mesh_terms: D019342:Acetic Acid / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D004350:Drug Residues / Q000032:analysis*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D009132:Muscles / Q000737:chemistry; D010865:Pilot Projects; D052617:Solid Phase Microextraction; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014413:Tuna
chemical_list: D019342:Acetic Acid
keywords: Acetic acid; GC-MS; food safety; histamine; solid-phase microextraction (SPME); yellowfin tuna