Monomethylarsonic and Dimethylarsinic Acid Contents in Seafood Products

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to obtain information about the levels of monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in popular seafood products and to study the possible effect of the manufacturing process on the levels of arsenical species. The methodology employed couples high-performance liquid chromatography with hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometric detection. Among all of the samples analyzed (n = 29), only 3 mollusks presented MMA levels above the limit of detection for the method, 0.6−3.7 ng g-1, fresh mass (fm), expressed as arsenic compound, and according to the dilution employed. The DMA levels ranged between <2 and 475 ng g-1 (fm), with the highest values occurring in the fish group. In 10 of the samples analyzed the total arsenic (fm) represented by unknown species [other than arsenobetaine (AB), MMA, and DMA] was around 1 μg g-1 or considerably higher (1.7−4.8 μg g-1) mostly in frozen and preserved fish. In the fish group the highest level of DMA expressed as a percentage of total arsenic was found in the preserved fish. More research is needed to identify all arsenic compounds in seafood and to confirm whether AB is degraded during the manufacturing processes, producing DMA and other arsenical compounds. Keywords: Monomethylarsonic and dimethylarsinic acid levels; arsenic levels; high-performance liquid chromatography−hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry; manufactured seafood

Organoarsenical Species Contents in Fresh and Processed Seafood Products

“…In the shellfish group, it was only in the bivalves that DMA was detected in all of the samples analyzed, with contents similar to those reported in the literature (0.06-1.06 µg g -1 dw) (24,25,39). In crustaceans only two of the five samples analyzed contained DMA, showing similar levels to those reported previously (22,35).…”

“…All of the samples of fatty fish contained DMA, with the highest concentrations being greater than those found in lean fish. The DMA contents reported in the literature are low for both lean and fatty fish and do not differ greatly from those obtained in the present study [lean fish, 0.12 µg g -1 dm (34); fatty fish, 0.16-0.5 µg g -1 dm (23,25,34)]. …”

“…The species on which the greatest amount of data is available in the literature are AB (20) and, to a lesser extent, DMA (21)(22)(23)(24)(25) and MMA (11,21,22,25). The amount of data is sparse, however, for TMAO (10,11,26), AC (27,11), and TMA + (11,13,(28)(29)(30).…”

Biologically based modeling of multimedia, multipathway, multiroute population exposures to arsenic

“…Species-specific data for arsenic (inorganic vs. organic) in food are very limited. Inorganic arsenic is found in meats, poultry, dairy products, and cereals, whereas the organic forms are predominantly found in fruit, vegetables, marine fish, shellfish, and seaweed (Velez et al, 1996). Systematic, comprehensive studies have not been conducted yet to fully evaluate the forms of arsenic in typical US diet(s).…”

Efficient conversion of dimethylarsinate into arsenic and its simultaneous adsorption removal over FeCx/N-doped carbon fiber composite in an electro-Fenton process

“…For example, groundwater at a superfund site in the northeastern U.S. had organic arsenic concentrations as high as 30 mg/L (Xu et al, 2008). Moreover, DMA concentrations as high as 475 ng/g have been found in fish (Velez et al, 1996).…”