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. 2020 Dec 19;9(12):1901.
doi: 10.3390/foods9121901.

An Update on the Content of Fatty Acids, Dioxins, PCBs and Heavy Metals in Farmed, Escaped and Wild Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.) in Norway

Ida-Johanne Jensen  1   2 , Karl-Erik Eilertsen  1 , Carina Helen Almli Otnæs  1 , Hanne K Mæhre  1 , Edel Oddny Elvevoll  1
Affiliations

An Update on the Content of Fatty Acids, Dioxins, PCBs and Heavy Metals in Farmed, Escaped and Wild Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.) in Norway

Ida-Johanne Jensen et al. Foods. .

Abstract

In this paper, we present updated data on proximate composition, amino acid, and fatty acid composition, as well as concentrations of dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and selected heavy metals, in fillets from farmed (n = 20), escaped (n = 17), and wild (n = 23) Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). The concentrations of dioxins (0.53 ± 0.12 pg toxic equivalents (TEQ)/g), dioxin-like PCBs (0.95 ± 0.48 pg TEQ/g), mercury (56.3 ± 12.9 µg/kg) and arsenic (2.56 ± 0.87 mg/kg) were three times higher in wild compared to farmed salmon, but all well below EU-uniform maximum levels for contaminants in food. The six ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) PCBs concentrations (5.09 ± 0.83 ng/g) in wild salmon were higher than in the farmed fish (3.34 ± 0.46 ng/g). The protein content was slightly higher in wild salmon (16%) compared to the farmed fish (15%), and the amount of essential amino acids were similar. The fat content of farmed salmon (18%) was three times that of the wild fish, and the proportion of marine long-chain omega-3 fatty acids was a substantially lower (8.9 vs. 24.1%). The omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio was higher in farmed than wild salmon (0.7 vs. 0.05). Both farmed and wild Atlantic salmon are still valuable sources of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. One 150 g portion per week will contribute to more (2.1 g and 1.8 g) than the recommended weekly intake for adults.

Keywords: Atlantic salmon; dioxin-like PCB (dl-PCB); dioxins; docosahexaenoic acid (DHA); eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA); heavy metals; mercury; nutritional composition; omega 3; polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The essential amino acids (percent coverage) in protein of wild, farmed or escaped Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) as compared to estimated requirements in adults (mg/g protein). The dotted line is included at 100% coverage [34].
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Distribution and (b) percentage distribution of dioxins and furans (pg toxic equivalents (TEQ)/g fillet) in wild (n = 12), farmed (n = 10), and escaped (n = 10) Atlantic salmon.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Distribution of dl-polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) (pg toxic equivalents (TEQ)/g fillet) including PCB 126, (b) distribution of dl-PCB (pg TEQ/g fillet) excluding PCB 126, and (c) percentage distribution of dl-PCB, in fillets of wild (n = 12), farmed (n = 10), and escaped (n = 10) Atlantic salmon.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Distribution and sum and (b) percentage distribution, of distribution of the six ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) PCBs (ICES-6 PCB) in fillets of wild (n = 12), farmed (n = 10) and escaped (n = 10) Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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