Kral Tomas, Blahova Jana, Sedlackova Lenka, Kalina Jiri, Svobodova Zdenka
a Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology , University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno , Brno , Czech Republic.
b Research Centre for Toxic Compounds in the Environment, Faculty of Science , Masaryk University Brno , Brno , Czech Republic.
Food Addit Contam Part B Surveill. 2017 Jun;10(2):149-154. doi: 10.1080/19393210.2017.1284904. Epub 2017 Feb 6.
The aim of this survey was to compare total mercury (THg) in canned fish in terms of species and fishing area. A number of 110 samples of canned fish, which were divided by fish species and fishing area, were analysed. The highest THg content in muscle tissue was found in the escolar. In other fish species, the highest level was detected in tuna. Mercury content in tuna differed significantly from mackerel, sardine, and sprat. Mercury content in herring differed significantly from sprat. The order of the fish according to their THg content corresponds to their status in the aquatic food chain. A significant difference was also found between fish caught from the closed Mediterranean and Black Sea and fish caught in the open oceans. In terms of THg content, the results of this study indicate good quality of various species of canned fish caught in worldwide locations.
