Total Mercury and Fatty Acids in Selected Fish Species on the Polish Market: A Risk to Human Health.

The muscles of lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush Walbaum, 1792), crucian carp ( Carassius carassius Linnaeus, 1758), flounder ( Platichthys flesus Linnaeus, 1758), gilthead seabream ( Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758), mackerel ( Scomber scombrus Linnaeus, 1758) and tench ( Tinca tinca Linnaeus, 1758) were examined. The total mercury (THg) was processed using the Milestone DMA-80 and the fatty acids were analyzed using the 7890A Agilent Technologies chromatograph. The THg content in analyzed fish ranged from 0.024 (lake trout) to 0.092 mg/kg wet weight (gilthead seabream). The muscles of fish examined had lower amounts of SFAs, and n-3 and n-6 PUFAs than MUFAs. The ratio of n-3/n-6 was higher in muscles of mackerel than other fish ( p < 0.05). Due to the fact that both the THQ and HI are below 1, the tested fish are safe for the consumer from a nutritional point of view. Similarly, fatty acid indices indicate the safe consumption of selected fish species, and the daily consumption of the recommended dose of EPA + DHA (250 mg/day) and the concentration of mercury in fish calculations showed a hazard quotient for the benefit-risk ratio HQ EFA below 1, suggesting that the intake of EPA + DHA poses no evident risk to human health. The ratio was calculated for a person weighing 60 kg. Therefore, it is important to monitor the fish, not only bought in the store, but also caught in various aquatic environments.