89A-32 |
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R. S. RASMUSSEN and M. T. Morrissey. Dept. of Food Science & Technology, Oregon State Univ., OSU Seafood Research Lab., 2001 Marine Dr., Rm. 253, Astoria, OR 97103-3420 Mercury is a toxicant that bioaccumulates through the aquatic food chain, and can be especially harmful to the developing nervous system. The FDA and EPA recently released a joint advisory warning pregnant women and young children of the mercury levels in albacore tuna. Past studies on albacore tuna reported the mercury content of either fresh/frozen or canned albacore samples, but have never followed the mercury concentration through the canning process. The objective of the present study was to determine whether the mercury becomes more or less concentrated in the albacore as a result of the canning process. Fifty-six cans from 10 troll-caught albacore tuna were tested for total mercury concentration prior to and after canning and retort cooking. The albacore tuna were harvested off the U.S. Pacific Coast during the 2004 season and weighed between 5 and 11 kg. Cans contained samples from either the upper loin or the belly flap of the tuna and were packed in a) water, b) olive oil, or c) raw packed. Cans were drained before post-canning analysis and total mercury was determined using a cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The average concentrations of total mercury were: 0.17 ppm (range 0.09 to 0.24 ppm) in the pre-canned samples and 0.21 ppm (range 0.10 to 0.33 ppm) in the post-canned samples. Although the total mercury concentration in the post-canned samples was slightly higher than in the pre-canned samples, the total amount of mercury in the samples did not change significantly. The apparent increase in mercury in canned albacore flesh is most likely due to water loss in the meat during the canning process. Additional studies are underway to determine other processing effects on mercury in seafood.
Session 89A, Aquatic Food Products: General
2005 IFT Annual Meeting, July 15-20 - New Orleans, Louisiana |