Food Chemistry 113 (2009) 233–237

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Food Chemistry
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foodchem

Analytical Methods

Determination of metals in fish species from Aegean and Mediterranean seas

Mustafa Türkmen a,*, Aysun Türkmen b, Yalçın Tepe a, Yalçın Töre a, Alpaslan Atesß a
a _
Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Fisheries and Aquaculture, 31200 Iskenderun, Hatay, Turkey
b _
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Provincial Directorate of Iskenderun, _
31200 Iskenderun, Hatay, Turkey

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Determination of metal levels in muscles and livers of twelve fish species from Aegean Sea and Mediter-
Received 24 March 2008 ranean Sea by ICP-AES was made. The levels of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in muscles of fish were
Received in revised form 24 June 2008 <0.01–0.39, <0.01–0.45, 0.07–1.48, 0.51–7.05, 9.18–136, 0.18–2.78, 0.03–1.72, 0.21–1.28 and 3.51–
Accepted 28 June 2008
53.5 mg kg 1, respectively. Metal levels in muscles were generally lower than those in livers. Metal con-
centrations in the edible parts of fish were assessed for human uses according to provisional tolerable
weekly intake (PTWI) and provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI). The estimated values of all metals
Keywords:
in muscles of fish in this study were below the established values. Therefore, it can be concluded that
Metals
Fish
these metals in edible parts of the examined species should pose no health problems for consumers.
Aegean Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Mediterranean
PTWI
PTDI

1. Introduction
Fish, generally accumulate contaminants from aquatic environ-
ments, have been largely used in food safety studies. Heavy metals
discharged into the marine environment can damage both marine
species diversity and ecosystems, due to their toxicity and accumu-
lative behaviour (Matta, Milad, Manger, & Tosteson, 1999). As the
spawning and nursery grounds of many marine species, including
the commercially valuable shrimps and fish, are located in estua-
rine and coastal areas, they are directly affected by such influx of
chemical contaminants into the marine ecosystem (Gibson, 1994).
Low or high trace element unbalances can be considered as risk
factors for several diseases. Metals, such as iron, copper, zinc and
manganese, are essential metals since they play important roles
in biological systems, whereas mercury, lead and cadmium are
toxic, even in trace amounts. The essential metals can also produce
toxic effects at high concentrations. Only a few metals with proven
hazardous nature are to be completely excluded in food for human
consumption. Metal absorption in fish is carried out via two uptake
routes: digestive tract (diet exposure) and gill surface (water expo-
sure) (Ptashynski, Pedlar, Evans, Baron, & Klaverkamp, 2002). Met-
als are further transferred via blood to other target organs, such as
the liver and kidney. Therefore, we selected muscles as a primary
site of metal uptake and liver as tissues specialised in metal storage
and detoxification. Due to the deleterious effects of metals on
aquatic ecosystems, it is necessary to monitor their bioaccumula-
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 326 6141693; fax: +90 326 6141877.
E-mail address: mturkmen65@hotmail.com (M. Türkmen).
tion in key species, because this will give an indication of the tem-
poral and spatial extent of the process, as well as an assessment of
the potential impact on organism health (Kotze, Preez, & van Vu-
ren, 1999).
Because the metal pollution in aquatic environments can be
harmful to human health, it is necessary to understand and control
the hazard levels of pollution in seafood. Therefore, this study
aimed to determine the levels of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb
and Zn in the muscles and livers of the different species from Ae-
gean Sea and Mediterranean Sea, and to assess the public health
risks associated with consuming fish harvested from these areas
by estimating daily and weekly intakes and by comparing them
with the PTWI and PTDI recommended by various authorities.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Sampling
Fish samples were obtained from commercial fishing efforts of
local fishermen in four different sites in Aegean Sea and Mediterra-
nean Sea from November 2004 to July 2005. These sampling sites
are Northern Aegean Sea (NAS) and Central Aegean Sea (CAS) in
_
Aegean Sea, Antalya Bay (AB) and Iskenderun Bay (IB) in Mediter-
ranean Sea (Fig. 1). Twelve fish species (124 samples) examined in
this study are axillary seabream (Pagellus acarne Risso, 1827), piper
gurnard (Trigla lyra L., 1758), painted comber (Serranus scriba L.,
1758), small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula L., 1758), bas-
tard grunt (Pomadasys incisus Bowdich, 1825), Atlantic stargazer
(Uranoscopus scaber L., 1758), thinlip mullet (Liza ramado Risso,

0308-8146/$ - see front matter Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.06.071
234 M. Türkmen et al. / Food Chemistry 113 (2009) 233–237
Fig. 1. The sampling locations from Aegean and Mediterranean seas, NAS: North Aegean Sea, CAS: Central Aegean Sea, AB: Antalya Bay, IB: Iskenderun Bay.
1810), European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax L., 1758), derbio
(Trachinotus ovatus L., 1758), chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus
Houttuyn, 1782), bluespotted seabream (Pagrus caeruleostictus
Valenciennes, 1830) and yellowmouth barracuda (Sphyraena virid-
ensis Cuvier, 1829). Specimens collected during the sampling peri-
od were frozen in prewashed polyethylene bags and frozen
samples brought to the laboratory in ice chests. Total length and
weight of the samples were measured to the nearest millimeter
and gram before dissection. Approximately 1 g sample of muscle
and liver (whole liver for small fish) from each fish were dissected,
washed with distilled water, weighed, packed in polyethylene bags
and stored at 18 °C until the performance of chemical analysis.
2.2. Chemical analyses
Tissues were homogenised and digested with 10 ml of 1 N
HNO3 in Teflon vessels in microwave oven (CEM MARS-5 closed
vessel microwave digestion system) using the following micro-
wave digestion programme; pressure 200 psi, ramp time 25 min,
temperature 210 °C, maximum power 300 W, hold time 10 min.
Then, hydrogen peroxide (1.5 ml, 30%) was added to each digest
to breakdown organic matter that may be undigested during the
acid digestion and again the same heating programme was applied.
After cooling, residue was transferred to 25 ml volumetric flasks
and diluted to level with deionized water. Liver samples with
low weight were digested with 4 ml of 1 N HNO3 in glass vessels
on a hot plate at 100 °C for 12 h. The residue was transferred in
to 10 ml volumetric flasks and diluted to level with deionized
water. Before analysis, the samples were filtered through a
0.45 lm membrane filter. Sample blanks were prepared in the lab-
oratory in a similar manner to the field samples. All metal concen-
trations were determined on wet weight basis as mg kg 1. All
samples were analysed three times for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni,
Pb and Zn by ICP-AES (Varian Model-Liberty Series II). Standard
solutions were prepared from stock solutions (Merck, multi ele-
ment standard). A Dorm-2 certified dogfish tissue was used as
the calibration verification standard. Recoveries between 90% and
110% were accepted to validate the calibration. The results showed
good agreement between the certified and the analytical values,
the recovery of elements being partially complete for most of
_
them. Metal analyses were done in the Central of Science Research
and Application of Mustafa Kemal University.
2.3. Statistical analyses
A logarithmic transformation was done on the data to improve
normality. To test the differences between species, one way ANO-
VA was performed (post-hoc: Tukey). Possibilities less than 0.05
were considered statistically significant (p < 0.05). All statistical
calculations were performed with SPSS 13.0 for windows according
to Özdamar (1999).
3. Results and discussion
Levels of nine elements in the muscle and liver of twelve fish
species from coastal waters of Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea
are shown in Tables 1 and 2. Metal concentrations in livers of
examined species were generally higher than those in muscles.
Iron was the highest in both muscle and liver of analysed species
in this study, followed by Zn. On the other hand, cadmium and co-
balt were generally the lowest. Similar situations were reported by
many researchers (Dural, Göksu, & Özak, 2007; Farkas, Salánki, &
Specziár, 2003; Tepe, Türkmen, & Türkmen, 2007; Türkmen, Türk-
men, Tepe, Atesß, & Gökkusß, 2008; Uluozlu, Tuzen, Mendil, & Soylak,
2007).
Cadmium levels in analysed fish species ranged from
<0.01 mg kg 1 in S. japonicus from CAS to 0.39 mg kg 1 in P. incisus
from AB for muscles, and from 0.03 mg kg 1 in S. japonicus from
CAS to 0.86 mg kg 1 in P. incisus from AB for livers. Cadmium con-
centrations in literature have been reported as 0.02–0.24 mg kg 1
for muscles of fish from Black Sea coasts (Topcuoğlu, Kırbasßoğlu,
& Güngör, 2002), 0.09–0.13 mg kg 1 for muscles of fish from
Çamlık Lagoon (Dural, Göksu, Özak, & Derici, 2006), 03–
0.12 mg kg 1 for muscles and 0.02–0.35 mg kg 1 for livers of fish
from Tuzla Lagoon, Mediterranean sea region (Dural et al., 2007),
0.13–0.47 mg kg 1 for livers of fish from Marmara, Aegean and
Mediterranean seas (Türkmen et al., 2008). Cadmium levels in
the present study were generally in similar ranges with literature.
 M. Türkmen et al. / Food Chemistry 113 (2009) 233–237 235

Table 1
1
Mean metal levels in the muscles of the examined fish species in this study (mg kg wet wt)

Sites Species N Cadmium Cobalt Chromium Copper Iron Manganese Nickel Lead Zinc
ab ab ab b ab ab a ab
NAS P. A. 7 0.05 ± 0.01 0.28 ± 0.06 0.38 ± 0.09 7.05 ± 1.67 37.0 ± 9.06 1.35 ± 0.50 0.75 ± 0.10 0.34 ± 0.14 14.0 ± 3.60a
T. L. 7 0.04 ± 0.01ab 0.12 ± 0.04ab 0.07 ± 0.01a 1.36 ± 0.24ab 35.7 ± 7.95ab 1.93 ± 0.83ab 0.70 ± 0.15a 0.31 ± 0.14ab 4.48 ± 0.85a
S. S. 5 0.06 ± 0.01ab 0.27 ± 0.11ab 1.08 ± 0.36bc 4.88 ± 1.57ab 99.0 ± 30.5ab 2.78 ± 0.32b 0.90 ± 0.37a 0.61 ± 0.13ab 53.5 ± 12.4b
S. J. 8 0.03 ± 0.00ab 0.25 ± 0.09ab 0.15 ± 0.04a 6.22 ± 1.49ab 68.1 ± 20.5ab 1.58 ± 0.69ab 1.00 ± 0.49a 0.54 ± 0.17ab 25.2 ± 8.87a
CAS P. A. 6 0.09 ± 0.03ab 0.02 ± 0.00a 0.22 ± 0.05a 1.63 ± 0.67ab 136 ± 45.3b 0.98 ± 0.28ab 1.72 ± 0.66ab 0.65 ± 0.21ab 6.24 ± 1.11a
T. L. 5 0.05 ± 0.02ab 0.02 ± 0.00a 0.21 ± 0.13a 0.63 ± 0.14a 59.9 ± 13.6ab 0.49 ± 0.09ab 0.51 ± 0.21a 0.14 ± 0.02a 4.47 ± 0.89a
S. J. 4 <0.01 ± 0.00a 0.05 ± 0.01ab 0.18 ± 0.08a 0.51 ± 0.11a 14.8 ± 4.42a 0.18 ± 0.06a 0.12 ± 0.03a 0.21 ± 0.03ab 3.51 ± 0.35a
AB S. C. 4 0.07 ± 0.02ab <0.01 ± 0.00a 0.29 ± 0.08a 0.88 ± 0.23a 34.7 ± 9.32ab 1.04 ± 0.27ab 0.27 ± 0.07a 0.27 ± 0.07ab 10.9 ± 2.93a
P. I. 8 0.39 ± 0.04c 0.45 ± 0.03b 1.48 ± 0.04c 0.34 ± 0.4a 9.18 ± 0.99a 0.69 ± 0.05ab 3.13 ± 0.35b 0.66 ± 0.08ab 8.94 ± 1.47a
U. S. 4 0.08 ± 0.02ab 0.03 ± 0.00a 0.38 ± 0.04ab 0.70 ± 0.17a 31.5 ± 10.0ab 0.80 ± 0.29ab 0.69 ± 0.27a 0.28 ± 0.18ab 8.56 ± 1.27a
S. J. 6 0.08 ± 0.04ab 0.02 ± 0.00a 0.28 ± 0.07a 0.63 ± 0.17a 43.5 ± 20.2ab 0.36 ± 0.05ab 0.84 ± 0.24a 0.25 ± 0.08ab 7.21 ± 0.67a
IB P. A. 5 0.11 ± 0.06abc 0.02 ± 0.00a 0.35 ± 0.18ab 1.27 ± 0.08ab 22.6 ± 1.88a 0.18 ± 0.02a 0.32 ± 0.13a 0.55 ± 0.30ab 6.32 ± 1.02a
T. L. 7 0.13 ± 0.02abc 0.05 ± 0.02ab 0.48 ± 0.10ab 2.48 ± 0.60ab 50.7 ± 19.6ab 1.14 ± 0.15ab 0.45 ± 0.05a 0.42 ± 0.09ab 8.37 ± 1.56a
S. S. 5 0.31 ± 0.15bc 0.37 ± 0.19ab 0.68 ± 0.31ab 1.14 ± 0.29ab 22.6 ± 8.55a 0.61 ± 0.23ab 0.58 ± 0.25a 1.28 ± 0.47b 4.95 ± 0.69a
P. I. 8 0.08 ± 0.02ab 0.02 ± 0.00a 0.15 ± 0.03a 3.97 ± 1.67ab 45.8 ± 12.1ab 0.49 ± 0.20ab 0.51 ± 0.15a 0.52 ± 0.15ab 12.1 ± 3.27a
L. R. 5 0.17 ± 0.7abc 0.08 ± 0.01ab 0.64 ± 0.22ab 1.54 ± 0.33ab 61.6 ± 15.5ab 0.56 ± 0.19ab 0.55 ± 0.05a 0.64 ± 0.21ab 8.04 ± 1.34a
D. L. 8 0.03 ± 0.01ab 0.10 ± 0.03ab 0.27 ± 0.05a 1.06 ± 0.28ab 33.3 ± 10.9ab 0.45 ± 0.04ab 1.02 ± 0.17a 0.48 ± 0.10ab 10.7 ± 1.46a
T. O. 5 0.05 ± 0.01ab 0.03 ± 0.01ab 0.45 ± 0.10ab 0.80 ± 0.18a 9.52 ± 2.20a 0.08 ± 0.03a 0.03 ± 0.01a 0.49 ± 0.11ab 9.27 ± 2.15a
S. J. 5 0.04 ± 0.01ab 0.08 ± 0.03ab 0.48 ± 0.11ab 1.37 ± 0.07ab 33.8 ± 11.6ab 0.47 ± 0.16ab 0.39 ± 0.17a 0.22 ± 0.07ab 8.13 ± 0.67a
P. C. 7 0.21 ± 0.03abc 0.26 ± 0.04ab 0.33 ± 0.08ab 1.18 ± 0.08ab 22.4 ± 7.02a 0.38 ± 0.05ab 0.67 ± 0.12a 0.84 ± 0.29ab 3.80 ± 0.34a
S. V. 5 <0.01 ± 0.00a 0.05 ± 0.02ab 0.35 ± 0.05ab 0.90 ± 0.32a 36.9 ± 11.1ab 0.19 ± 0.06a 0.47 ± 0.14a 0.36 ± 0.06ab 6.90 ± 1.15a

Vertically, letters a, b and c show statistically significant differences (p < 0.05).

P. A.: Pagellus acarne, T. L.: Trigla lyra, S. S.: Serranus scriba, S. J.: Scomber japonicus, S. C.: Scyliorhinus canicula, P. L.: Pomadasys incisus, U. S.: Uranoscopus scaber, L. R.: Liza ramado,
D. L.: Dicentrarchus labrax, T. O.: Trachinotus ovatus, P. C.: Pagrus caeruleostictus, S. V.: Sphyraena viridensis.

Table 2
1
Mean metal levels in the livers of the examined fish species in this study (mg kg wet wt)

Sites Species N Cadmium Cobalt Chromium Copper Iron Manganese Nickel Lead Zinc
a a a a ab ab a ab
NAS P. A. 7 0.10 ± 0.01 0.42 ± 0.13 0.64 ± 0.21 15.9 ± 2.14 75.3 ± 16.5 4.54 ± 1.63 1.88 ± 0.17 1.23 ± 0.11 17.5 ± 4.98a
T. L. 7 0.11 ± 0.01a 0.28 ± 0.11a 1.90 ± 0.44ab 9.28 ± 1.43a 249 ± 41.8ab 6.12 ± 2.13ab 1.38 ± 0.48a 2.19 ± 0.62ab 51.2±9.89ab
S. S. 5 0.12 ± 0.01a 0.55 ± 0.21a 2.03 ± 0.64abc 15.0 ± 3.71a 168 ± 56.1ab 9.90 ± 2.60b 3.82 ± 1.39a 1.77 ± 0.73ab 93.8 ± 25.2b
S. J. 8 0.33 ± 0.10abc 0.72 ± 0.29a 0.34 ± 0.12a 19.2 ± 5.14a 197 ± 47.2ab 3.65 ± 1.33ab 1.47 ± 0.55a 0.92 ± 0.29ab 35.1 ± 8.76a
CAS P. A. 6 0.60 ± 0.09abc 0.82 ± 0.11a 3.97 ± 0.89c 7.49 ± 1.52a 318 ± 83.9b 8.86 ± 2.79ab 10.2 ± 3.16b 7.15 ± 0.72c 58.6 ± 11.5ab
T. L. 5 0.08 ± 0.03a 0.19 ± 0.03a 1.02 ± 0.17ab 5.25 ± 1.04a 68.7±6.11ab 2.17 ± 0.35ab 4.40 ± 1.11a 0.71 ± 0.28ab 39.1 ± 6.53a
S. J. 4 0.03 ± 0.01a 0.15 ± 0.04a 0.41 ± 0.05a 2.59 ± 0.41a 0.89 ± 0.07a 0.44 ± 0.12a 0.40 ± 0.08a 15.2 ± 0.63a
AB S. C. 4 0.24 ± 0.03ab 0.14 ± 0.02a 0.88 ± 0.11ab 5.10 ± 0.62a 279 ± 55.1ab 2.94 ± 0.36ab 1.64 ± 0.20a 1.10 ± 0.13ab 16.9 ± 2.05a
P. I. 8 0.86 ± 0.07c 0.96 ± 0.09a 2.71 ± 0.19bc 8.62 ± 3.46a 54.2 ± 11.4a 2.25 ± 0.61ab 6.09 ± 1.37ab 1.18 ± 0.09ab 30.3 ± 5.17a
U. S. 4 0.11 ± 0.01a 0.17 ± 0.07a 1.06 ± 0.19ab 19.9 ± 7.76a 153 ± 58.3ab 1.15 ± 0.23ab 1.94 ± 0.35a 0.69 ± 0.29ab 13.3 ± 1.06a
S. J. 6 0.25 ± 0.06ab 0.10 ± 0.02a 0.65 ± 0.09a 1.56 ± 0.36a 94.6 ± 16.0ab 0.80 ± 0.07ab 1.55 ± 0.40a 0.72 ± 0.24ab 17.6 ± 1.81a
IB P. A. 5 0.26 ± 0.10ab 0.14 ± 0.05a 1.04 ± 0.58ab 3.68 ± 1.07a 82.6 ± 28.2ab 0.47 ± 0.07a 1.41 ± 0.59a 2.88 ± 0.68b 23.0 ± 6.68a
T. L. 7 0.71 ± 0.02bc 0.51 ± 0.09a 1.84 ± 0.17ab 9.99 ± 1.36a 176 ± 37.4ab 2.26 ± 0.14ab 1.75 ± 0.23a 2.36 ± 0.39ab 41.9 ± 5.09ab
P. I. 8 0.28 ± 0.07abc 0.13 ± 0.02a 0.56 ± 0.11ab 14.7 ± 3.47a 96.7 ± 16.5ab 0.93 ± 0.18ab 1.07 ± 0.22a 2.05 ± 0.36ab 42.1 ± 10.6ab
L. R. 5 0.56 ± 0.28abc 0.13 ± 0.04a 1.30 ± 0.53ab 3.75 ± 1.30a 188 ± 44.0ab 1.66 ± 0.21ab 1.76 ± 0.25a 1.30 ± 0.26ab 15.9 ± 1.05a
D. L. 8 0.21 ± 0.03ab 0.45 ± 0.14a 0.90 ± 0.27ab 51.1 ± 11.0b 85.7 ± 8.81ab 1.29 ± 0.18ab 3.06 ± 0.49a 1.26 ± 0.12ab 39.5 ± 3.68a
S. J. 5 0.12 ± 0.02a 0.23 ± 0.04a 1.12 ± 0.18ab 3.35 ± 0.32a 270 ± 89.2ab 1.59 ± 0.45ab 1.97 ± 1.02a 0.71 ± 0.09ab 13.2 ± 0.74a
P. C. 7 0.45 ± 0.04abc 0.75 ± 0.09a 0.80 ± 0.10ab 4.40 ± 0.55a 130 ± 22.9ab 1.87 ± 0.23ab 1.22 ± 0.15a 1.45 ± 0.18ab 37.0 ± 4.60a
S. V. 5 0.05 ± 0.01a 0.13 ± 0.05a 0.84 ± 0.08ab 4.49 ± 0.91a 261 ± 45.2ab 2.38 ± 0.42ab 1.79±0.24a 1.34 ± 0.30ab 23.9 ± 3.04a

Vertically, letters a, b and c show statistically significant differences (p < 0.05).

P. A.: Pagellus acarne, T. L.: Trigla lyra, S. S.: Serranus scriba, S. J.: Scomber japonicus, S. C.: Scyliorhinus canicula, P. L.: Pomadasys incisus, U. S.: Uranoscopus scaber, L. R.: Liza ramado,
D. L.: Dicentrarchus labrax, P. C.: Pagrus caeruleostictus, S. V.: Sphyraena viridensis.

Cobalt levels were ranged from <0.01 mg kg 1 in S. canicula to
0.45 mg kg 1 in P .incisus from AB for muscles, and from
0.10 mg kg 1 in S. japonicus to 0.96 mg kg 1 in P .incisus from AB
for livers. In the literature, cobalt levels have been reported as
<0.05–0.40 mg kg 1 for muscles of fish from Black Sea coasts (Top-
cuoğlu et al., 2002), 0.02–0.67 mg kg 1 for muscles of fish from
Indian fish markets (Sivaperumal, Sankar, & Nair, 2007), 0.04–
0.41 mg kg 1 for muscles and 0.14–0.51 mg kg 1 for muscles of
fish from Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean seas (Türkmen et
al., 2008). Our findings were in agreement these literatures. On
the other hand, Türkmen, Türkmen, Tepe, and Akyurt (2005) re-
_
ported higher cobalt levels for fish muscles from Iskenderun Bay
(0.73–1.91 mg kg 1) and Türkmen and Ciminli (2007) reported
lower cobalt levels for fish from Mediterranean Sea region
(<0.001–0.002 mg kg 1 for muscles and livers).
Chromium levels in analysed fish ranged from 0.07 mg kg 1 in T
.lyra from NAS to 1.48 mg kg 1 in P. incisus from AB for muscles,
and from 0.34 mg kg 1 in S. japonicus from NAS to 3.97 mg kg 1
in P. acarne from CAS for livers. In the literature, chromium levels
in fish have been reported in the range of 0.06–0.84 mg kg 1 for
muscles of fish from the Black Sea coasts (Topcuoğlu et al.,
2002), 0.10–1.60 mg kg 1 for muscles and 0.20–3.88 mg kg 1 for
livers of fish from Turkish seas (Tepe et al., 2007), 0.04–
1.75 mg kg 1 for muscles and 0.19–2.63 mg kg 1 for livers of fish
236 M. Türkmen et al. / Food Chemistry 113 (2009) 233–237

S. japonicus EWI (EDI)

from Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean sea (Türkmen et al.,
2008), 0.310–0.73 mg kg 1 for muscles of fish from western coast
of United Arab Emirates (Kosanovic et al., 2007). Masan Bay (Kwon

9534 (1362)
& Lee, 2001), 0.2–1.87 mg kg 1 for muscles of fish from Indian fish

3528 (504)
75.6 (10.8)
221 (31.6)
871 (124)
11.2 (1.6)

67.2 (9.6)
35 (1.75)

140 (20)
markets (Sivaperumal et al., 2007).
Copper concentrations ranged from 0.51 mg kg 1 in S. japonicus
from CAS to 7.05 mg kg 1 in P. acarne from NAS for muscles, and
from 1.56 mg kg 1 in S. japonicus from AB to 51.1 mg kg 1 in D. lab-

D. labrax EWI (EDI)

rax from IB for livers. Copper in the literature ranged from 0.23 to
9.49 mg kg 1 for muscles of fish from Marmara Sea (Keskin et al.,

4662 (666)

1498 (214)
148 (21.2)

143 (20.4)
2007), 0.7–27 mg kg 1 for muscles and 3.1–323 mg kg 1 for livers

37.8 (5.4)

67.2 (9.6)
4.2 (0.6)
of fish from Lake Budi (Tapia et al., 2006), 0.74–2.24 mg kg 1 for

14 (2)

63 (9)
_
muscles of fish from Iskenderun Bay (Türkmen, Türkmen, Tepe,
Mazlum, & Oymael, 2006), 0.15–5.06 mg kg 1 for muscles and

L. ramado EWI (EDI)

1.11–46.2 mg kg 1 for livers of fish from Turkish seas (Tepe et al.,
2007), 0.35–12.0 mg kg 1 for livers of fish from Tuzla Lagoon (Dur-
al et al., 2007), 0.32–6.48 mg kg 1 for muscles and 5.29–

8624 (1232)

1126 (161)
78.4 (11.2)
89.6 (12.8)
216 (30.9)
89.6(12.8)
23.8 (3.4)
11.2 (1.6)
14.9 mg kg 1 for livers of fish from Marmara, Aegean and Mediter-

77 (11)
ranean seas (Türkmen et al., 2008).
Iron levels ranged from 9.18 mg kg 1 in P. incisus from AB to
136 mg kg 1 in P. acarne from CAS for muscles, and from

P. incisus EWI (EDI)

54.2 mg kg 1 in P. incisus from AB to 318 mg kg 1 in P. acarne from
CAS for livers. Iron levels in the literature were reported between

6412 (916)

1694 (242)
59.6 and 73.4 mg kg 1 for muscles of fish from Mediterranean

96.6 (13.8)
92.4 (13.2)
556 (79.4)

438 (62.6)
207 (29.6)
54.6 (7.8)
sea (Kalay, Ay, & Canli, 1999), 68.6–163 mg kg 1 for muscles of fish

63 (9)
from Black and Aegean seas (Uluozlu et al., 2007), 30–160 mg kg 1
for muscles of fish from the Black Sea coasts (Topcuoğlu et al.,
2002), 51.4–224 mg kg 1 for livers of fish from Çamlık Lagoon
S. scriba EWI (EDI)

WHO recommends a TDI (tolerable daily intake) of 5 lg/day/kg body weight, i.e. 350 lg/day for a 70-kg person (WHO, 1993).
(Dural et al., 2006), 49.9–889 mg kg 1 for livers of fish from Turk-

13,860 (1980)

7490 (1070)
ish seas (Tepe et al., 2007), 48.1–384 mg kg 1 for livers of fish from

EPA recommends a RfD (reference dose) of 0.14 mg/day/kg body weight, i.e. 9800 lg/day for a 70-kg person (EPA, 2008).
151 (21.6)
683 (97.6)

389 (55.6)
179 (25.6)
43.4 (6.2)
51.8 (7.4)

126 (18)
Tuzla Lagoon, Mediterranean sea region (Dural et al., 2007), 105–
442 mg kg 1 for livers of fish from Marmara, Aegean and Mediter-
The estimated daily and weekly intakes for the economically important fish species consumed by adult people in Turkey

ranean seas (Türkmen et al., 2008). Our iron concentrations were

generally in agreement with literature.
P. caeruleostictus EWI (EDI)

Manganese concentrations ranged from 0.18 mg kg 1 in P. acar-

ne from IB to 2.78 mg kg 1 in S. scriba from NAS for muscles, and
from 0.47 mg kg 1 in P. acarne from IB to 9.90 mg kg 1 in S. scriba
from NAS for livers. Manganese in the literature have been reported
in the range of 0.69–3.56 mg kg 1 for muscles of fish from the Black
3136 (448)
93.8 (13.4)
165 (23.6)

118 (16.9)
29.4 (4.2)
36.4 (5.2)
46.2 (6.6)

53.2 (7.6)

532 (76)

Sea coasts (Topcuoğlu et al., 2002), 1.30–3.10 mg kg 1 for muscles

_
of fish from Iskenderun Bay (Türkmen et al., 2006), 0.14–
Provisional Permissible Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) in lg/week/kg body weight.

3.36 mg kg 1 for muscles of fish from Indian fish markets

(Sivaperumal et al., 2007), 0.72–7.33 mg kg 1 for livers of fish from
T. lyra EWI (EDI)

Turkish seas (Tepe et al., 2007), 0.55–5.40 mg kg 1 for livers of fish

Mean weekly fish consumption in Turkey is 0.14 kg per person (FAO, 2005).
8386 (1198)

1172 (167)
347 (49.6)

270 (38.6)

from Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean seas (Türkmen et al.,

18.2 (2.6)
16.8 (2.4)
67.2 (9.6)

58.8 (8.4)

PTDI, permissible tolerable daily intake (lg/day/70 kg body weight).

98 (14)

2008).
Nickel levels in fish were found as 0.03 mg kg 1 in T. ovatus
EWI, estimated weekly intake in lg/week/70 kg body weight.

from IB and 1.72 mg kg 1 in P. acarne from CAS for muscles, and

PTWI for 70 kg adult person (lg/week/70 kg body weight).

EDI, estimated daily intake in lg/day/70 kg body weight.

P. acarne EWId (EDI)e

0.44 mg kg 1 in S. japonicus and 10.2 mg kg 1 in P. acarne from

CAS for livers. In the literature nickel levels ranged from <0.01 to
2.04 mg kg 1 for muscles of fish from the Black Sea coasts (Top-
19,040 (2720)

Calculated for a week (lg/week/kg body weight).

Calculated for a week (lg/week/kg body weight).

1960 (280)

cuoğlu et al., 2002), 0.66 to 1.59 mg kg 1 for muscles of fish from

241 (34.4)
987 (141)
15.4 (2.2)
39.2 (5.6)
53.2 (7.6)

91.0 (13)
189 (27)

_
Iskenderun Bay (Türkmen et al., 2006), 0.02–4.22 mg kg 1 for mus-
cles and 0.40–9.70 mg kg 1 for livers of fish from coastal waters of
Turkish seas (Tepe et al., 2007), 0.02–3.97 mg kg 1 for muscles and
0.13–8.89 mg kg 1 for livers of fish from Marmara, Aegean and
35,000
56,000

70,000
9800h
PTDIc

350f

250

Mediterranean seas (Türkmen et al., 2008).

70
–
–

Lead concentrations ranged from 0.21 mg kg 1 in S. japonicus

245,000
392,000

490,000

from CAS to 1.28 mg kg 1 in S. scriba from AB for muscles, and from

68,600
PTWIb

2450

1750

0.40 mg kg 1 in S. japonicus from CAS to 7.15 mg kg 1 in P. acarne

(FAO/WHO, 2004).
490
–
–

from CAS for livers. Lead levels in the literature have been reported
in the range of 0.22–0.85 mg kg 1 for muscles of fish from the mid-
PTWI*

3500a
5600a

7000a
980i

dle Black Sea (Tüzen, 2003), 0.33–0.93 mg kg 1 for muscles of fish

35g

25a
7a
–
–

from Black and Aegean seas (Uluozlu et al., 2007), 1.41–

Table 3

Metal

3.92 mg kg 1 (Dural et al., 2007), 0.38–5.20 mg kg 1 (Tepe et al.,

Mn

g
c

i
b
a

f
e

h
Cu
Cd
Co

Zn
Pb
Ni
Fe
Cr

2007), 0.83–3.71 mg kg 1 (Türkmen et al., 2008) for fish livers.

**
*
 M. Türkmen et al. / Food Chemistry 113 (2009) 233–237
Zinc levels in fish were ranged from 3.51 mg kg 1 in S. japonicus
from CAS to 53.5 mg kg 1 in S. scriba from NAS for muscles, and
from 13.3 mg kg 1 in U. scaber from AB to 93.8 mg kg 1 in S. scriba
from NAS for livers. Zinc levels in the literature have been reported
in the range of 9.5–22.9 mg kg 1 for muscles of fish from the Black
Sea coasts (Topcuoğlu et al., 2002), 16.1–31.4 mg kg 1 for muscles
of fish from Mediterranean sea (Kalay et al., 1999), 26.3–
126 mg kg 1 for livers of fish from Çamlık Lagoon (Dural et al.,
2006), 9.83–195 mg kg 1 for livers of fish from Turkish seas (Tepe
et al., 2007), 21.7–99.8 mg kg 1 for livers of fish from Tuzla Lagoon,
Mediterranean sea region (Dural et al., 2007), 26.2–43.5 mg kg 1
for livers of fish from Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean seas
(Türkmen et al., 2008).
One way ANOVA performed to test the differences between spe-
cies and sites (Tables 1 and 2). In muscles, the differences were sta-
tistically significant for others except Co and Cu. On the other hand,
in livers, the differences were statistically significant for all metals
(p < 0.05).
The daily and weekly intakes were estimated for economically
important fish species consumed by adult people in Turkey (Table
3). The average daily fish consumption in Turkey is 20 g per person
(FAO, 2008). This is also equivalent to 140 g per person per week.
The EWI (estimated weekly intake) and EDI (estimated daily in-
take) values presented in Table 3 were estimated by assuming that
a 70-kg person will consume 20 g fish/day which is equal to 140 g
fish/week. EWI values of metals for an adult (lg/70 kg body
weight) consuming 140 g fish/week were estimated using the
maximum metal levels in Table 1 for each species [EWI (lg/70 kg
body weight/week) = maximum levels of metal (lg/kg) multiplied
by fish consumption (kg/70 kg body weight/week)]. Then, EDI val-
ues were calculated from EWI values. Table 3 also compares the
estimated EWI and EDI to recommended values (PTWI and PTDI).
As can be seen in Table 3, the estimated EWI and EDI values for
economically important fish examined in present study were far
below the recommended values ( FAO/WHO, 2004; WHO, 1993;
EPA, 2008) (Table 3).
Concluding, many statistically significant differences were ob-
served in the mean metal values obtained for fish species investi-
gated from the Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea. Cadmium, Co
and Cr in P. incisus from AB, Cu and Zn in P. acarne, Mn in S. scriba
from NAS, Fe and Ni P. acarne from CAS and Pb in S. scriba from IB
were higher than other species and sites. The results of this study
supply valuable information about metal contents in examined
species from Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea and indirectly
indicate the environmental contamination along the coastal areas.
Moreover, these results can also be used to understand the chem-
ical quality of fish and to evaluate the possible risk associated with
their consumption. Because PTWI and PTDI values estimated for
examined fish and metals were far below the established values
by various authorities (FAO/WHO, 2004; WHO, 1993; EPA, 2008),
it may be concluded that consumption of these species from each
seas is not a problem on human health.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank The Scientific & Technological
_
Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK) for their financial support
(Project No: 105Y018). Again, authors thank to Kamil Yerdoğan
for his assistance who is expert on microwave oven.
237
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