MFR PAPER 1324 Composition of the Edible Portion of Raw (Fresh or Frozen) Crustaceans, Finfish, and Mollusks. III. Microelements VIRGINIA D. SIDWELL, AUDREY L. LOOMIS, KAREN J. LOOMIS, PAULINE R. FONCANNON, and DAVID H. BUZZELL ABSTRACT-This report summarizes data from 224 publications referring to the The averages and ranges for each microelements found in the flesh of commonly eaten seafoods. These microele­ microelement were calculated from the ments are: Copper, iron, zinc, iodine, manganese, mercury, organic mercury, lead, data reported by various investigators. arsenic, fluorine, silver, cadmium, cobalt, selenium, chromium, vanadium, tin, These data may have been in the form aluminum, nickel, barium, and molybdenum. of an average based on multiple deter­ minations. or they may have been re­ INTRODUCTION viewed the data on the concentrations ported as individual values for which an of sodium. potassium. calcium. phos­ average could be calculated. Regard­ In Part I of this series. Sidwell et al. phorus. chlorine. and magnesium less. only the averages were used to (1974) described the data bank being found in edible portions of seafoods. calculate the overall averages in Tables establ ished at the Southeast Fisheries Part III summarizes the available I, 2. and 3. With the overall average Center of the National Marine Fisheries data on the concentrations of various and range is the number of averages Service. NOAA, and outlined the sys­ microelements (trace elements) in sea­ used in the calculation of the two statis­ tem that would be employed for man­ food. There is a need for such jnforma­ tics. agement and retrieval of the data. Sometimes the average appears as The objecti ves of the data bank are: tion in the medical community, e.g., in the evaluation of nutritional aspects and 0.0 ppm (Tables I. 2. and 3). This I) To develop a comprehensive. sys­ in the calculation ofspecial diets. There means the investigator either reported tematic data retrieval system containing is also a need for such data in the fishing no detectable amount or the amount information on the chemical and nutri­ industry. because high contents of cer­ was less than 0.05 ppm; therefore. to tional composition of seafoods; 2) to tain microelements in fishery products fulfi lithe criteria set up for the format of publish information on the nutrients in may cause public health concern or in­ the tables the figure was rounded off to fishery products (by surveying the liter­ voke legal restraint of the products' 0.0. ature); and 3) to point out aspects of the sale. The nutrition-conscious consumer chemical composition of fish needing Only a limited number of analyses also wants to be aware of the positive further investigation. Part I also sum­ are available for many species of fish marized the data on the content of pro­ nutritional aspects of the fish he or she and shellfish listed in Tables 1.2, and tein, fat. moisture. ash. carbohydrates. buys. as well as the possible contamina­ 3. Also. a number of species of com­ energy (calories). and cholesterol in tion. monly caught fish have not been analyzed for microelement content. commonly eaten seafoods. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION In Part II. Sidwell et al. (1977) re- Whenever the information for a specific In this report, Part lll, we assembled fish or element is limited. the listed data from 224 references on microele­ value should be regarded only as an ments found in 167 different species of estimate of what can be expected. More The authors are with the College the most commonly eaten fish and Park Laboratory, Southeast Fish­ data are necessary to obtain a value eries Center, National Marine shellfish. These microelements are: which possesses a notable degree of Fisheries Service, NOAA, College Copper. iron. zinc. iodine, manganese. reliability. Park, MD 20740. (New address: mercury. organic mercury. lead, arse­ Excellent and reliable data on the Charleston Laboratory, P. O. Box nic. fluorine. silver. cadmium, cobalt, microelement content in the flesh of 12607, Charleston, SC 29412.) This is Contribution No. CP463 from the selenium, chromium. vanadium, tin, commercially important species har­ Southeast Fisheries Center, College aluminum. nickel, barium, and molyb­ vested from the coastal waters of the Park Laboratory. denu m. L'nited States. Hawaii. and Alaska. can September /978 be noted in Hall et all. The data reported selenium. Historically, they are known LITERATL:RE CITED were generated over a period of 5 years to be toxic to humans and terrestrial I. Abd-al-raheem. A. A. 195H. Study on the at the Southeast Fisheries Center's Col­ animals if the dietary intake is exces­ nutritive value of mullet. J. R. Egypt. \1cd. lege Park Laboratory of the National sive. Yet, small amounts of fluorine A"oc, .\ I: 17.\· 179. ') Adolph. \\'. H.. and P. C. Whang. Marine Fisheries Service. 1\Jon.: of and selenium are nutritionally impor­ 19.12. ludin~ in nutrition in coastal mid­ those data are included in this report. tant. Fluorine plays an important role in China. Chim. J. Physiol. 6:.145-.152 . However, the publ ication by Hall et al. preventing dental caries in children and .1. Adriano. F. T .. and M. S. DeGulman. does not fully fill the gaps that are evi­ in maintaining the rigidity of the bones 19.12. The prnximat~ chel1li~al analys~s of some Philippin~ food products. IV. dent in this summary. of the elderly. Selenium is the metallic Philipp.\gric. 20:5HO-592. The literature we researched contains component of an enzyme. xanthine .\. Airan. J. W. 1950. Studi~s in Kulhapur minimal information on: I) The oxidase, which plays a role in protein fresh-wal~r fbhes. Pal'! I. Water­ extractable protein and mineral COnl~I1lS. physiological need for microelcments metabolism. No such nutritional need Indian J Med. Res . .18: 169-172. in fish muscle; 2) the physiological in­ has been obs.:rved for kad, arscnic. or :\. Airan,J. W .. andJ. V.Joshi. 1969. Studies terrelationships between the elements; cadmium. Certain mollusks-mactra in Kolhapur fresh \Vat~r fishes. V. J. Univ. and 3) how much of an element can be Bombay 28. Ne\\-. Ser. .1:69-71. clams, oysters, and whelks-contain 6. Albrechl. P. G. 1920. Chemical study of expected to be naturally present in the morc lead than other species of sea several marine mollusks of the Pacific fish muscle. ani mals. Arsenic is also present in vary­ Coast. J. BioI. Chcm. 45:.195-40:\. In Tables I. 2, and 3 the range of ing amounts in the flesh of many finfish 7. Alexander. K. M. 1955. A comparison of the gross chemical composition of the red values for each element in the flesh of the and shellfish. The elemental state of and whit~ muscles in the two fishes. same species of animal is sometimes arsenic is known to be more toxic to Scarophagu.l' arglls and La/Jev rohita. J. quite large. A portion of this variation is humans than the organic forms. The Anim. Morphol. Physiol. 1(2):58-61. 8. Ang. C. Y. W. 1974. Nutritional composi­ undoubtedly associated with seasonal possible function of arsenic in marine tion of frozen fish per 100 g. edibk portion. and biological differences. i.e., the ani­ life is not known. Cobalt, also listed in Food Science Associates. Inc .. Dobbs mal's size, age, sex. degree of sexual Table 2, is important as an integral part Ferry. N. Y. 9. Annett. C. S.. \1. P. Fadow. F. M. D·ltri. maturity, and elements present in its of the vitamin B 12 molecule. Since vi­ and M. E. Stephenson. 1972. Mercury pol­ diet. Some of the variation may be re­ tamin B :2 is not concentrated in animal lution and Lake Erie fishes. Mich. Acad. lated to the technique used in preparing flesh, a low content of cobalt is ex­ 4:325-.1.17. the sample before it is analyzed or the pected. 10. Anonymous. 1952. Iodine content of food,. Annotated bibliography 1825-1951. method of analysis used by the inves­ The data for the metals Iisted in Table Chilean Iodine Educ. Bur.. Lond.. 183 p. tigator. High figures in some cases may 3 ar.: based on too few species for any II. Anonymous. 1970. Proximate analysis of reflect environmental contamination. conclusions to be drawn. Nutritionally, raw breaded fish products. Booth Fisheries Research. Development and Quality In Table I, mercury and organic there are indications that chromium, Control Dep .. Chicago. III. mercury are the only elements that are vanadium. and tin are important food 12. Appanna. T. C.. and S. C. Devadatta. of public health concern. The Food and constituents for the maintenance of 1942. Comparative studies on the nutritive Drug Administration (FDA) has set a good health. More extensive research value of fish and prawn muscle. Curr. Sci. (Bangalore) II :33.1-335. guideline for maximum acceptable needs to be conducted in reference to 13. Arnesen. G. 1974. Mercury contents in mercury content of foods at 0.5 ppm. these metals and their requirement by Icelandic seafood products. Icelandic Fish. With the exceptions of hurhot, humans. Aluminum is found univer­ Lab. 14. Arroba Nino, N. 1954. Analisis quimico cuttlefish, goby, perch, shark, star­ sally in all plants and animals. bromatoligico de la carne del Neptomenus gazer, swordfish, and weever, the mer­ The data for each species of finfish. crasus 0 "Cojinova" y de la Sciaena de­ cury contents reported here fall within crustaceans, and mollusks were ob­ /iciosa 0 "Lorna." An. Fac. Farm. tained from the bibliography listed in Bioquim.5:115-117. the limits of the guideline. 15. Aten. A. H. W .. J. W. Dalenberg, and W. The other elements listed in Table Table 4.