Institute of Marine Research, Bergen, Norway.
German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany.
PLoS One. 2020 Nov 12;15(11):e0242086. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242086. eCollection 2020.
The triple burden of malnutrition is an incessant issue in low- and middle-income countries, and fish has the potential to mitigate this burden. In Ghana fish is a central part of the diet, but data on nutrients and contaminants in processed indigenous fish species, that are often eaten whole, are missing. Samples of smoked, dried or salted Engraulis encrasicolus (European anchovy), Brachydeuterus auritus (bigeye grunt), Sardinella aurita (round sardinella), Selene dorsalis (African moonfish), Sierrathrissa leonensis (West African (WA) pygmy herring) and Tilapia spp. (tilapia) were collected from five different regions in Ghana. Samples were analyzed for nutrients (crude protein, fat, fatty acids, several vitamins, minerals, and trace elements), microbiological quality (microbial loads of total colony counts, E. coli, coliforms, and Salmonella), and contaminants (PAH4 and heavy metals). Except for tilapia, the processed small fish species had the potential to significantly contribute to the nutrient intakes of vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. High levels of iron, mercury and lead were detected in certain fish samples, which calls for further research and identification of anthropogenic sources along the value chains. The total cell counts in all samples were acceptable; Salmonella was not detected in any sample and E. coli only in one sample. However, high numbers of coliform bacteria were found. PAH4 in smoked samples reached high concentrations up to 1,300 μg/kg, but in contrast salted tilapia samples had a range of PAH4 concentration of 1 μg/kg to 24 μg/kg. This endpoint oriented study provides data for the nutritional value of small processed fish as food in Ghana and also provides information about potential food safety hazards. Future research is needed to determine potential sources of contamination along the value chains in different regions, identify critical points, and develop applicable mitigation strategies to improve the quality and safety of processed small fish in Ghana.
在中低收入国家，营养不良的三重负担是一个持续存在的问题，而鱼类有潜力减轻这一负担。在加纳，鱼类是饮食的重要组成部分，但关于加工本地鱼类的营养成分和污染物的数据却缺失，这些鱼类通常是整鱼食用。本研究从加纳的五个不同地区采集了经熏制、干燥或盐腌的欧洲海鲢（Engraulis encrasicolus）、大眼鲷（Brachydeuterus auritus）、圆鲹（Sardinella aurita）、非洲月鱼（Selene dorsalis）、西非小沙丁鱼（Sierrathrissa leonensis）和罗非鱼（Tilapia spp.）样本。对这些样本进行了营养成分（粗蛋白、脂肪、脂肪酸、多种维生素、矿物质和微量元素）、微生物质量（总菌落数、大肠杆菌、大肠菌群和沙门氏菌的微生物负荷）和污染物（多环芳烃 4 和重金属）分析。除了罗非鱼之外，加工后的小鱼种有潜力显著增加维生素、矿物质和必需脂肪酸的摄入量。在某些鱼类样本中检测到铁、汞和铅含量较高，这需要进一步研究和确定沿价值链的人为来源。所有样本中的总细胞计数均在可接受范围内；未在任何样本中检测到沙门氏菌，仅在一个样本中检测到大肠杆菌。然而，发现了大量的大肠菌群。熏制样本中的多环芳烃 4 浓度高达 1300μg/kg，但相比之下，盐腌罗非鱼样本中的多环芳烃 4 浓度范围为 1μg/kg 至 24μg/kg。本终点导向研究提供了加纳小加工鱼类作为食物的营养价值数据，并提供了有关潜在食品安全危害的信息。未来需要开展研究，以确定不同地区价值链中潜在的污染来源，识别关键点，并制定适用的缓解策略，以提高加纳小加工鱼类的质量和安全性。
