Assessment of heavy metal concentration in dried salted fish and fishery products from Malaysia and Thailand / Mukhainizam Mah Hassan

Introduction: Assessment of heavy metals content in different commercial dried salted fish and fishery products are of particular interest since fish is important to the human diet and nutrition. Moreover, they are being a bio-indicator for marine pollution and contamination and food safety. Most contemporary studies focus on marketplaces, ports, seaside or direct sampling from natural habitat marine and fresh water fishes. There were very few studies being conducted on the subjects of dried salted fish and fishery products; hence this study aims to compare the heavy metal concentration of marine dried salted fish obtained from Malaysia and imported from Thailand. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was carried out at two different locations namely, Sungei-Kolok town in Thailand and Tumpat in Malaysia. Sixty (n=60) dried salted fish and fishery products were randomly purchased from the selected location. The purchased samples of dried fishes and fishery products were brought to the environmental laboratory on the UiTM Puncak Alam campus. They were analyzed for Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd) and Arsenic (As) by using flame atomic-absorptionspectrometry (F-AAS) through dry ashing-acid digestion method. Results: The analyzed samples from Malaysia and Thailand were statistically compared for any significant difference (p<0.05). Pb, Cd and As contents ranged from 0.28 - 4.04 mg/kg, 0.01-0.34 mg/kg and 6.00x 1 o-s - 2.40x 104 respectively for both Malaysia and Thailand samples. Mean comparisons between countries were found to be significantly different only for Cd whereby Pb and As did not show any difference (p>0.05). The study had revealed that Pb contents in the samples had exceeded the safety limit for human consumption. Meanwhile, Cd and As concentration were found to be safe for human consumption which fall within the safety limit when compared to the standard permissible limits from the Fourteenth Schedule of Malaysian Food Regulations 1985