A survey of fish products for volatile N-nitrosamines

A study was undertaken to determine the levels of nitrate, nitrite and volatile N-nitrosamines of various fish products (halibut, salmon, cod, sole, ocean perch, scallops). The samples were analysed for five volatile nitrosamines, namely dimethyl-nitrosamine (DMN), diethylnitrosamine (DEN), dibutylnitrosamine (DBN), nitrosopyrrolidine (NPyr) and nitrosopiperidine (NPip), all of which are potent carcinogens. Both gas–liquid chromatographic (Coulson electrolytic conductivity detector, pyrolytic mode) and thin-layer chromatographic methods were used for estimating the levels of nitrosamines. The average level of nitrate was 8 part/10⁶ (range 0–94 parts/10⁶), and nitrite was present in traces only. Traces of DMN (3–12 parts/10⁹) were found in some uncooked (raw) fish. Increased levels of DMN (3–18 parts/10⁹) and traces of DEN (4–14 parts/10⁹) were observed after baking and frying, indicating formation of these compounds during cooking. None of the samples contained DBN, NPyr or NPip. In 10 out of 15 samples the identities and levels of DMN and DEN were confirmed by gas liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry.