Contaminant levels in Norwegian farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the 13-year period from 1999 to 2011.

Background: Environmental pollutants such as dioxins and PCBs, heavy metals, and organochlorine pesticides are a global threat to food safety. In particular, the aquatic biota can bioaccumulate many of these contaminants potentially making seafood of concern for chronic exposure to humans.

Objectives: The main objective was to evaluate trends of contaminant levels in Norwegian farmed Atlantic salmon in light of the derived tolerable intakes.

Arachidonic acid enhances turnover of the dermal skeleton: studies on zebrafish scales.

In fish nutrition, the ratio between omega-3 and omega-6 poly-unsaturated fatty acids influences skeletal development. Supplementation of fish oils with vegetable oils increases the content of omega-6 fatty acids, such as arachidonic acid in the diet. Arachidonic acid is metabolized by cyclooxygenases to prostaglandin E2, an eicosanoid with effects on bone formation and remodeling.

Toxicokinetic model assessment on the dechlorination of dietary toxaphene CHB-62 into CHB-44 in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.).

European Union legislation on the upper limits of toxaphene in feed and food include the congeners CHB-26, CHB-62 and CHB-50 and is set at 50 µg kg⁻¹ feed for the sum of these three congeners. However, due to their elevated presence in fish, the congeners CHB-40 and CHB-41, CHB-44, and CHB-42 should also be included according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2005. Earlier trials with model zebra fish have shown in vivo dechlorination of dietary CHB-62 to CHB-44 and, to a lesser degree, of CHB-50 to CHB-40.

Establishment of a seafood index to assess the seafood consumption in pregnant women.

Background: Seafood (fish and shellfish) is an excellent source of several essential nutrients for pregnant and lactating women. A short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) that can be used to quantitatively estimate seafood consumption would be a valuable tool to assess seafood consumption in this group. Currently there is no such validated FFQ in Norway.

Marine n-3 fatty acids alter the proteomic response to methylmercury in Atlantic salmon kidney (ASK) cells.

Fish based diets have been linked to the amelioration of methylmercury (MeHg) induced symptoms in several epidemiological studies, particularly due to their contents of marine n-3 fatty acids. It has been suggested that n-3 fatty acids may mask the detrimental effects of MeHg due to their beneficial effect on the same biological functions which are negatively affected by MeHg. However, in vitro studies have implied that there may be direct interactions between the marine n-3 FAs and MeHg, which ameliorates MeHg toxicity through interactions at a biological level.