engleski

Element levels in muscle tissue and body length of European hake from the Adriatic Sea

Eating fish has known benefits for human health, especially for heart function and lowering the risk of obesity in adults whereas during pregnancy it is necessary for child neurodevelopment as an important source of omega-3 fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins and various essential elements.[1] However, toxic trace elements that accumulate in fish meat, primarily Hg, are a potential risk for adverse health effects. Guidelines on fish consumption for sensitive population groups, such as women during reproductive period and children have been to date focused on large, predatory fish species and widely vary among countries. We evaluated the effect of fish body length on the levels of essential (Mn, Cu, Zn, Se) and toxic elements (Hg, Cd, Pb, As) in edible muscle tissue of wild European hake (Merluccius merluccius) that is the most commonly consumed fish species in Croatian population.[2] Fish specimens were collected between 2016 and 2021. They were caught by pelagic trawl net at several locations in the eastern part of the Adriatic Sea (n = 11 ; within EU project MEDIAS) and bought at fish market in Zagreb (n = 17). The samples of skinless dorsal muscle tissue were freeze dried and homogenised in the mixer mill using tungsten balls (Retsch, Germany). Approximately 0.25 g of sample was then wet digested in a high-pressure microwave system UltraClave IV (Milestone, Italy). Multielement analysis was performed using 7500cx ICP-MS (Agilent Technologies, Japan) and accuracy of the method was checked using commercially available certified reference materials IAEA 407 fish homogenate and ERM BB422 fish muscle. Concentrations of measured elements were (range, mg/kg wet wt): 0.08-0.61 for Mn ; 0.08-0.36 for Cu ; 2.4-5.1 for Zn ; 0.24-0.48 for Se ; 4.5-25 for As ; 0.05-0.97 for Hg, and (range, µg/kg wet wt) 0.03-0.89 for Cd ; 0.08-9.9 for Pb. Calculated molar ratio of Se:Hg and Se health benefit value were on average 8.1 and 3.9, respectively, indicating benefits for human nutrition. Fish specimens were categorized by fork length into three groups (G):11.0-20.9 cm (G1), 21.0-30.9 cm (G2), and 31.0-50.0 cm (G3). In G3 vs. G1 were approximately 3-fold higher Hg and 1.2-fold lower both Cu and Zn levels. Only the longest specimen of 50 cm had concentration 0.97 mg Hg/kg, which exceeded the EU regulatory limit for Hg in fish meat (0.50 mg Hg/kg). Correlations between fish length and element concentrations were positive for Hg (rs=0.65, p<0.001) and negative for Cu (rs=-0.54, p<0.01), Zn (rs=-0.43, p<0.05), and As (rs=-0.53, p<0.01). The study provides data that could be used in recommendations for women in reproductive age and children as sensitive groups for Hg toxic effects associated with consumption of this fish species. Acknowledgements. The study was funded by the Croatian Science Foundation research projects HRZZ-IP-2016-06-1998 and HRZZ-IP-2019-04-7193. References: [1] European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Scientific Committee, EFSA J. 2015, 13(1), 3982, 36 pp. [2] A. Sulimanec Grgec, J. Jurasović, Z. Kljaković-Gašpić, T. Orct, I. Rumora Samarin, T. Janči, A. Sekovanić, J. Grzunov Letinić, M. Matek Sarić, A. Benutić, K. Capak, M. Piasek. Environ. Adv. 2022, 8, 100226.

marine fish ; Merluccius merluccius ; ICP-MS analysis ; essential and toxic elements

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