Abstract
Mercury, a toxic heavy metal, has the potential to accumulate in humans, particularly in vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children, posing significant health risks. Accurate assessment of mercury in food is crucial to ensure the absence of this contaminant or that intake is below the maximum permitted limits. Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) is an effective method for detecting trace levels of mercury in food, and it is recognized by international regulatory bodies. Despite advantages, common mercury analysis methods have limitations due to challenges associated with sample digestion. The technique based on direct mercury analysis by atomic absorption with thermal decomposition and amalgamation, without the need for prior sample preparation, offers significant benefits. Direct AAS plays a crucial role in food safety regulations by quantifying mercury content accurately, which is vital for consumer protection. In this chapter, we present a streamlined and rapid protocol for quantifying mercury levels in fish muscle through direct analysis using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Clarkson TW (1997) The toxicology of mercury. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci 34(4):369–403
Díez S (2009) Human health effects of methylmercury exposure. Rev Environ Contam Toxicol 198:111–132
Boylan H, Walter P, Kingston H (1997) Direct mercury analysis: field and laboratory validation for EPA method 7473
Ferreira SL, Lemos VA, Silva LO, Queiroz AF, Souza AS, da Silva EG et al (2015) Analytical strategies of sample preparation for the determination of mercury in food matrices—a review. Microchem J 121:227–236
U.S. EPA (1998) “Method 7473 (SW-846): mercury in solids and solutions by thermal decomposition, amalgamation, and atomic absorption spectrophotometry” Revision 0. Washington, DC
Alva CV, Mársico ET, Ribeiro RDOR, da Silva Carneiro C, Simões JS, da Silva Ferreira M (2020) Concentrations and health risk assessment of total mercury in canned tuna marketed in Southeast Brazil. J Food Compos Anal 88:103357
de Aquino LFMC, Ribeiro RDOR, Simoes JS, Mano SB, Mársico ET, Junior CAC (2017) Mercury content in whey protein and potential risk for human health. J Food Compos Anal 59:141–144
Cizdziel JV, Hinners TA, Heithmar EM (2002) Determination of total mercury in fish tissues using combustion atomic absorption spectrometry with gold amalgamation. Water Air Soil Pollut 135:355–370
Panichev NA, Panicheva SE (2015) Determination of total mercury in fish and sea products by direct thermal decomposition atomic absorption spectrometry. Food Chem 166:432–441
Silva MJ, Paim APS, Pimentel MF, Cervera ML, de la Guardia M (2014) Determination of total mercury in nuts at ultratrace level. Anal Chim Acta 838:13–19
EPA (2002) Method 1631, Revision E: mercury in water by oxidation, purge and trap, and cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry. US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
da Silva Carneiro, C., de Faria Barbosa, R., Belo, C.A.D., da Silva Junior, F.J.T.M., Mano, S.B., Mársico, E.T. (2024). Total Mercury Determination in Fish Muscle: Direct Analysis by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. In: Hoff, R., Molognoni, L. (eds) Chemical Food Contaminants Analysis. Methods and Protocols in Food Science . Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3806-4_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3806-4_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Humana, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-0716-3805-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-0716-3806-4
eBook Packages: Springer Protocols