Analysis of the results of research into the mercury content in fish and seafood during import-export operations in Ukraine for 2019–2021
Abstract
The article presents the results of research on the determination of mercury in fish muscles and seafood, conducted based on the State Research Institute for Laboratory Diagnostics and Veterinary-Sanitary Examination by the Atomic Absorption Spectrometry Laboratory as systematic research in the period from 2019 to 2021. Mercury content in fish muscles was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry with direct sample injection. The study was carried out using a Milestone DMA-80 atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Italy). Certified standard samples (MERK) of mercury ion solution composition with an accredited value of 1.0 mg/cm2 were used to construct the calibration curves. The detection limits of mercury in fish and seafood are determined according to the validation data: the LOD detection limit is 0.1 μg/kg, and the LOQ detection limit is 5.0 μg/kg. During the studied period, research was carried out on 3368 samples of fish products: 2587 samples of sea fish, 161 samples of freshwater fish, 130 samples of other types of fish and seafood – 490 pieces, of which four examples of sea fish, namely fish of the tuna family, were found to exceed the maximum permissible level of mercury, which is 0.12% of the total number of studied samples. The mercury content in tuna muscles ranged from 0.356 to 1.889 mg/kg, 1.8 times higher than the MDR. It was found that the average mercury content in the muscles of freshwater fish was 0.006–0.315 mg/kg, which is significantly lower than the average mercury concentration in marine fish. The mercury concentration in the muscles of other types of fish and seafood was 0.008–0.472 mg/kg and did not exceed the regulated norms.
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