Norwegian monitoring programme on the inorganic and organic contaminants in fish caught in the Barents Sea, Norwegian Sea and North Sea, 1994-2001

The results from part of a monitoring programme of contaminant levels in fish and other seafood products initiated by the Directorate of Fisheries in Norway in 1994 are presented. Concentrations of 22 elements (four are presented here: As, Cd, Hg and Pb) and HCB, HCH, PCB 28, 52, 101, 105, 118, 138, 153, 156, 180, pp-DDD, p-DDE, p-DDT, sum DDT and ¹³⁷Cs were determined in 17 species of fish caught in three sampling locations: the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea. The fish species analysed in the survey were limited to species of commercial importance for Norway with catching volumes of at least 10 000 metric tons year^-1. The survey started in 1994 and is expected to continue beyond 2010. The analyses were carried out on 25 individual fish from each species and each sampling location, and the locations were representative of commercial fishing grounds for the species in question. The concentrations of contaminants found were considerably lower than the maximum levels permissible in fish set by CODEX and the European Union for contaminants in seafood products.     

Dietary accumulation efficiencies and biotransformation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar).

The consumer safety of farm-raised salmon could be improved by determining the transfer efficiency of hazardous pollutants from fish feed to the salmon. A controlled feeding trial for 30 weeks was carried out to investigate the transfer of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Using three feed concentrations, an average of 95% of the total PBDE content of feed accumulated in whole salmon. Skinned fillet accumulated 42-59% of the PBDE intake. Equal partitioning according to the lipid content of the tissue was demonstrated. The formation of less brominated PBDEs via preferential debromination from the meta-position was thought to explain the exceptional accumulation efficiencies of BDE 47, BDE 66, BDE 75, BDE 119 and BDE 183 that were either >100% or else increasing with the exposure dose. Monitoring of a larger number of PBDE congeners is recommended to verify the biotransformation routes. The PBDE concentration in salmon of different ages, fed on a known concentration of PBDEs in fish feed, could be predicted by using the accumulation efficiencies determined in this study.     

Metabolites and immune variables associated with somatic cell counts of primiparous dairy cows

The main objective of this study was to investigate associations between serum concentrations of several blood variables related to metabolic and immunological status around calving, and udder health measured as milk somatic cell counts (SCC), Box-Cox transformed to bcSCC, at first test-milking in 287 primiparous cows in 20 Swedish dairy herds. Possible systematic effects of breed and age at calving on blood profiles were also investigated. Ordinary linear regression models, with robust standard errors and adjusting for clustering within herds, were used to investigate associations between blood variables and bcSCC. Hierarchical linear regression models, with herd as random factor, were used to investigate systematic effects on blood variables. The results showed that greater concentrations of β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) and glucose before calving were associated with lesser bcSCC at first test-milking, whereas greater concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) before calving and greater delta NEFA (describing the difference in concentrations before and after calving) were associated with greater bcSCC at first test-milking. In addition, greater α-tocopherol concentrations in the period −5 to +5 d relative to calving were associated with lesser bcSCC at first test-milking, whereas greater concentrations of collectin of 43 kDa (CL-43) postpartum (1 to 21 d after calving) were associated with greater bcSCC. Postpartum concentrations of conglutinin and haptoglobin were also associated with bcSCC, but not independently of each other. Moreover, significant breed differences were observed for insulin, urea nitrogen, conglutinin, cholesterol, NEFA, and CL-43, the latter 3 as an interaction with period. Overall, cows of the Swedish Red breed had greater concentrations of insulin, cholesterol, urea nitrogen, and conglutinin, and lesser concentrations of NEFA and CL-43 than cows of the Swedish Holstein breed. Age at calving as main effect was significantly associated with BHBA, glucose, insulin, NEFA, urea nitrogen, and conglutinin. Heifers calving at >27 mo of age had greater BHBA and NEFA values, and lesser glucose, insulin, and urea nitrogen values compared with heifers calving at <27 mo. Heifers calving at an age <25 mo had greater conglutinin and urea nitrogen values, and lesser NEFA values compared with heifers calving at >25 mo. The results show that there are several associations among metabolites, immunological variables, and udder health of primiparous cows, but also that these variables vary between breeds and between cows of different age at first calving.     

Mercury,lead, arsenic,and cadmium in Norwegian seafood products and consumer exposure

ABSTRACT

Seafood can be a source of contaminants, which may raise health concerns. The aim of this study was to analyse the levels of inorganic contaminants in commercially available seafood products and assess consumer exposure. Commercially available samples were collected from 2015–2018 and analysed as composite samples for mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium, using accredited methods. Levels of cadmium, lead, and arsenic were low and human exposure of these metals would be minimal from consumption of the analysed seafood products. Mercury levels were well below the EU maximum limit for mercury in fish. However, children, who are high consumers, might be at risk of exceeding the tolerable weekly intake for methyl mercury, when eating products with the highest mercury levels. The collected data can be used for future risk-benefit assessments as intake of processed seafood products represent a large proportion of the populations' seafood intake in Europe.     

In vitro generation and stability of the lactokinin beta-lactoglobulin fragment (142-148)

The objectives of this study were to investigate the generation of beta-lactoglobulin fragment (142-148) (beta-LG f(142-148) during the hydrolysis of whey proteins, and the in vitro stability of this fragment upon incubation with gastrointestinal and serum proteinases and peptidases. An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) protocol was developed for the quantification of beta-LG f(142-148) in whey protein hydrolysates and in human blood serum. The minimum detection limit was 3 ng/mL. The level of the peptide in whey protein hydrolysates was influenced by the degree of hydrolysis (DH). As expected, highest levels of this peptide were found in hydrolysates generated with trypsin. Sequential incubation of hydrolysates at different DH values with pepsin and Corolase PP, to simulate gastrointestinal digestion, generally resulted in the degradation of beta-LG f(142-148) as determined by EIA. Reversed-phase HPLC and angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) activity assays demonstrated that synthetic beta-LG f(142-148) was rapidly degraded upon incubation with human serum. Furthermore, beta-LG f(142-148) could not be detected by EIA in the sera of 2 human volunteers following its oral ingestion or in sera from these volunteers subsequently spiked with beta-LG f(142-148). These in vitro results indicate that beta-LG f(142-148) is probably not sufficiently stable to gastrointestinal and serum proteinases and peptidases to act as an hypotensive agent in humans following oral ingestion. The in vitro methodology described herein has general application in evaluating the hypotensive potential of food protein-derived ACE inhibitory peptides.     

Levels of synthetic antioxidants (ethoxyquin, butylated hydroxytoluene and butylated hydroxyanisole) in fish feed and commercially farmed fish

Several synthetic antioxidants are authorized for use as feed additives in the European Union. Ethoxyquin (EQ) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are generally added to fish meal and fish oil, respectively, to limit lipid oxidation. The study was conducted to examine the concentrations of EQ, BHT and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) in several commercially important species of farmed fish, namely Atlantic salmon, halibut and cod and rainbow trout, as well as concentrations in fish feed. The highest levels of BHT, EQ and BHA were found in farmed Atlantic salmon fillets, and were 7.60, 0.17 and 0.07 mg kg(-1), respectively. The lowest concentrations of the synthetic antioxidants found were in cod. The concentration of the oxidation product ethoxyquin dimer (EQDM) was more than ten-fold higher than the concentration of parent EQ in Atlantic salmon halibut and rainbow trout, whereas this dimer was not detected in cod fillets. The theoretical consumer exposure to the synthetic antioxidants EQ, BHA and BHT from the consumption of farmed fish was calculated. The contribution of EQ from a single portion (300 g) of skinned fillets of the different species of farmed fish would contribute at most 15% of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for a 60 kg adult. The consumption of farmed fish would not contribute measurably to the intake of BHA; however, a 300 g portion of farmed Atlantic salmon would contribute up to 75% of the ADI for BHT.     

Image quality measurements and metrics in full field digital mammography: an overview

This paper gives an overview of test procedures developed to assess the performance of full field digital mammography systems. We make a distinction between tests of the individual components of the imaging chain and global system tests. Most tests are not yet fully standardised. Where possible, we illustrate the test methodologies on a selenium flat-panel system.