Health Benefit Value of Selenium (HBV-Se) of mercury from consumption of fishes from Tual, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract Our study reports the total mercury (THg) and total selenium (TSe) content measured in the tissue of fishes from the market at Tual (Indonesia), that was used to examine the Health Benefit Value of Selenium (HBV-Se) as a food safety index from mercury contamination in seafood consumption. Nine fish species that were usually eaten and predicted to have a high content of mercury were bought from the fish market. Direct Mercury Analyzer (DMA) NIC-MA3000 was used to analyze the total mercury (THg) content directly. While the fish sample for total selenium analysis must be prepared with microwave digestion prior to measure by ICP-OES. The mean THg concentrations varied from 0.009 up to 1.38 mg/kg-DW and the mean TSe concentrations varied from 1.56 up to 6.88 mg/kg-DW. Cephalopholis sonnerati and Epinephelus morrhua exceeded the SNI standard which has a limit of 0.5 mg/kg, but all the fishes exceeded the new BPOM guidelines (0.06 mg/kg) except Siganus lineatus. The THg values from the highest were Epinephelus morrhua > Cephalopholis sp > Cephalopholis ongus > Lutjanus gibbus > Ephinephelus ongus > Euthynus affinis > Rastrelinger kanagurta > Katsuwanus pelamis > Siganus lineatus. Measurement of HBV-Se value of all the fishes in Tual showed positive values, which means safe for consumption. HBV-Se index provided a comprehensive elucidation of human risk assessment on food safety compared with the single data of total mercury due to mercury contamination.