Selected Metals in Canned Fish Consumed in Iran

Background: The presence of heavy metals in the environment could constitute a hazard to food security and public health. These can be accumulated in aquatic animals such as fish. Canned fish is consumed regularly in many countries. In this study, the levels of heavy metals Cu, Ni, Fe and Cr were evaluated in commercial canned fish products that are commonly consumed in Iran. The canned fish studied were longtail tuna, Kawakawa, Kilka and yellowfin tuna. Methods: Samples of four popular brands of canned fish in the Iranian market (yellowfin tuna, common Kilka, Kawakawa and longtail tuna) were analyzed for levels of Cu, Ni, Fe and Cr after wet digestion with acids using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results: The mean concentrations for the metals in the different brands were: For Cu: 0.91, 0.73, 1.18 and 0.84 μg g-1 for brands A, B, C and D respectively. For Ni: 0.37, 0.19, 0.14 and 0.18 μg g-1 for brands A, B, C and D respectively For Fe: 45.9, 34.0, 77.53 and 61.3 μg g-1 for brands A, B, C and D respectively. For Cr: 2.57, 3.24, 3.16 and 1.65 μg g-1 for brands A, B, C and D respectively. Significant differences were observed in the heavy metal levels between all of the different brands of canned fish evaluated in this study.Conclusion: The metal concentrations for the varieties of canned fishes were generally within the FAO/WHO, U.S. FDA and U.S. EPA recommended limits for fish except for Iron for which all different Brands exceeded the limit.