Fatty acids, mercury, and methylmercury bioaccessibility in salmon (Salmo salar) using an in vitro model: Effect of culinary treatment

• Published in: Food chemistry 2015-10, Vol.185, p.268-276
• Main Authors: Costa, Sara, Afonso, Cláudia, Cardoso, Carlos, Batista, Irineu, Chaveiro, Nádia, Nunes, Maria Leonor, Bandarra, Narcisa Maria
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Bioaccessibility; Cooking; Culinary treatments; Fatty acid profile; Fatty Acids - analysis; Fish Proteins - analysis; Mercury - analysis; Metal contaminants; Methylmercury Compounds - analysis; Proximate composition; Salmo salar; Salmon; Seafood - analysis
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2015.03.141

•Grilling reduced protein and fat bioaccessibility in salmon.•Salmon has very low levels of bioaccessible Hg and MeHg.•Fatty acids with longer chain were more bioaccessible.•More unsaturated fatty acids were less bioaccessible. The effect of culinary treatments on the fatty acid profile, mercury (Hg), and methylmercury (MeHg) levels of salmon was studied. The bioaccessibility of fatty acids, Hg, and MeHg in raw and grilled salmon was determined. The most intense thermal treatment (grilling) did not alter the relative fatty acid (FA) profile. There were bioaccessibility differences between FAs. To the authors’ knowledge, for the first time, higher bioaccessibility of the long-chain FAs than the short- and medium-chain FAs was measured. Chemical interaction phenomena seemed to play a role. On the other hand, higher levels of unsaturation decreased bioaccessibility. Two main alternative hypotheses were put forward, either lower polarity led to higher incorporation of FAs with longer hydrophobic aliphatic chain and lower number of double bonds in the emulsion present in the bioaccessible fraction or enzymatic selectivity preferentially hydrolyzed some FAs on the basis of their structure or position in the triacylglycerol molecule.