Risk assessment and monitoring of tranquilizers in live seafood: Analysis of natural essential oil and 2-phenoxyethanol by GC-MS/MS.

An analytical method for nine tranquilizer compounds, including eight major natural oil components and 2-phenoxyethanol, was developed using gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and validated under CODEX and National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation guidelines. Subsequently, 315 live seafood samples under Korean preference for sashimi (eight species) were monitored with sales distribution channels and place of origin. A total of 76 detection cases in 65 seafood samples contained the target tranquilizer compounds at concentrations ranging from 2.0 to 40.6 ng/g ww. Among the analytes, methyl salicylate and isoeugenol were mainly detected. The sales distribution and place of origin were similar, but predatory fish species appear to contain more tranquilizer compounds. Methyl salicylate and isoeugenol, the most commonly detected tranquilizers in seafood, were evaluated for their safety in Korean seafood by calculating their estimated daily intake (EDI) values, which were found to be safe for consumption.