Benefit-risk ratio of canned pacific saury (Cololabis saira) intake: essential fatty acids vs. heavy metals

Abstract

Fatty acid (FA) and element contents were studied in 14 brands of canned saury (Cololabis saira), a popular product of Russian market. Canned saury is a valuable source of essential polyunsaturated FA - eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3). To obtain personal daily dose of EPA+DHA of 1 g for prevention of cardiovascular diseases, neural and inflammatory disorders one needs to intake from 26 to 76 g of canned saury, as was calculated for studied brands. ICP-OES analysis of 24 elements showed that Pb concentration in one brand and Cd content in most of studied saury samples exceeded standards for fish meat established by the European Commission. However, values of hazard quotient, HQEFA, which estimate benefit-risk ratio of fish intake, indicate that canned saury is safe product for human nutrition.