Contents of Trace Elements in Fish Paste Products and Their Raw Materials

Abstract

Heavy metals (Al, Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, Sn, Sb, Hg, Pb) contents in muscles of codfishes (8 species) and sharks (4 species), which are important raw materials for fish paste products, were determined by either inductively coupled argon plasma emission spectrometry or atomic absorption spectrometry.As compared to the previously reported values for other fishes, arsenic, mercury and cadmium contents in the muscles of both codfishes and sharks were considerably high.When the muscles were subjected to water-washing, which is an essential procedure in the manufacture of fish paste products, their As and Cd contents decreased due to the leakage into the water, but the Hg content was substantially unchanged. In accordance with these results, the As and Cd contents were found to be very low in commercial fish paste products.However, among the commercial fish paste products examined, those made from shark muscles contained large amounts of Hg.