The emerging farmed fish species meagre (Argyrosomus regius): How culinary treatment affects nutrients and contaminants concentration and associated benefit-risk balance

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology 2013-10, Vol.60, p.277-285
• Main Authors: Costa, Sara, Afonso, Cláudia, Bandarra, Narcisa Maria, Gueifão, Sandra, Castanheira, Isabel, Carvalho, Maria Luísa, Cardoso, Carlos, Nunes, Maria Leonor
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Aquaculture; Argyrosomus regius; arsenic; Arsenic - analysis; Benefit/risk assessment; Biological and medical sciences; boiling; cadmium; Contaminants; Cooking - methods; Culinary treatments in meagre; diet; Docosahexaenoic Acids - analysis; Eicosapentaenoic Acid - analysis; EPA + DHA; farmed fish; fatty acid composition; food contamination; Food Contamination - analysis; grilling; ingestion; lead; Medical sciences; mercury; Mercury - analysis; methylmercury compounds; Methylmercury Compounds - analysis; mineral content; minerals; nutrients; Nutritional/chemical composition; Perciformes; polyunsaturated fatty acids; Portugal; protein content; Quality Control; raw fish; risk; Risk Assessment; roasting; selenium; Toxicology; Trace Elements; water content; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2013.07.050

[Display omitted] •Risk/benefit assessment showed that grilled is the best culinary treatment.•Culinary treatments affected the proximate composition due to moisture reduction.•EPA and DHA were increased as a result of culinary treatments.•More retention was observed for As in grilled meagre.•Higher content of Me-Hg in grilled and roasted meagre. The effect of cooking methods (boiling, grilling, and roasting) on the proximate and mineral composition, contaminants concentration and fatty acids profile was evaluated aiming to understand the benefits and risks associated to the consumption of the emerging farmed fish meagre (Argyrosomus regius). All the treatments led to lower moisture content. After grilling and roasting, the SFA, MUFA and PUFA contents increased. There was no degradation of EPA and DHA during the culinary processes. Significant retention of minerals in grilled and roasted meagre samples was registered. For Pb and Cd there were no concentration differences between culinary treatments and regarding raw fish. Whereas As level was higher in grilled meagre, total Hg and Me-Hg values were augmented in grilled and roasted meagre. The consumption of meagre is advisable due to the low and healthy fat, high selenium and protein content. Grilling would be the best culinary treatment due to the retention of protein, EPA, DHA and minerals. But as the risk of ingestion of Me-Hg content also increases, based on the risk assessment, intake should not exceed two weekly meals, provided that no other important Me-Hg food source is present in the diet. Otherwise, even this maximum threshold should be lower.