The International Intercomparison Exercise of Underway fCO2 Systems During the R/V Meteor Cruise 36/1 in the North Atlantic Ocean

Measurements of the fugacity of carbon dioxide (fCO2) in surface seawater are an important part of studies of the global carbon cycle and its anthropogenic perturbation. An important step toward the thorough interpretation of the vast amount of available fCO2 data is the establishment of a database system that would make sure measurements more widely available for use in understanding the basin- and global-scale distribution of fCO2 and its influence on the oceanic uptake of anthropogenic CO2. Such an effort, however, is based on knowledge of data sets from different laboratories. Currently, however, there is not much known about this subject

Cadmium in the shore crab Carcinus maenas along the Norwegian coast: geographical and seasonal variation and correlation to physiological parameters

Previously, high concentrations of cadmium have been found in the hepatopancreas of the edible or brown crab (Cancer pagurus) sampled from positions north of about 67° N, compared to regions further south along the Norwegian coast, with no clear understanding why. In order to study a similar organism in the same ecosystem, the present study analyzed 210 shore crabs (Carcinus maenas) from four different locations along the Norwegian coast, two in the North and two in the South. The physiological variables size, sex, molting stage, hepatosomatic index, carapace color, and gonad maturation were registered, in attempt to explain the high inter-individual variation in cadmium levels in hepatopancreas. In contrast to the brown crabs, the shore crabs showed no clear geographical differences in cadmium concentrations. This indicates physiological differences between the two crab species. No clear and consistent correlations were found between cadmium levels and physiological parameters, except for sex, where cadmium concentration in hepatopancreas was twice as high in males compared to females. The cadmium levels also varied with season, with approximately 40 and 60% lower cadmium concentration in April than August for male and female shore crabs, respectively. None of the analyzed cadmium concentrations in muscle meat from claws exceeded EUs food safety limit, and low cadmium levels in soup prepared from shore crabs clearly indicated that this dish is not problematic regarding food safety.publishedVersio

Kartlegging av fremmedstoffer i mesopelagiske arter fra norske farvann - Mesopelagisk fisk fra Norskehavet og Sognefjorden

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Cadmium in brown crab Cancer pagurus. Effects of location, season, cooking and multiple physiological factors and consequences for food safety

Brown crab Cancer pagurus is appreciated as seafood in several European countries. However, cadmium levels in crabs can be elevated and their consumption may pose a hazard for human health. To assess if cadmium poses a threat to food safety in Norway, crabs were sampled at two different locations along the Norwegian coast: one in the South of Norway and one in the North of Norway. Cadmium levels were determined in different tissues (claw meat, hepatopancreas and inner meat). To highlight specific risk factors for cadmium, the concentration of cadmium was related to different exogenous (location, cooking and season) and physiological (size, sex, moulting stage, gonad maturation stage, condition) factors. The results confirmed previous findings of much higher cadmium levels in brown crab sampled in the North of Norway compared to the South. Cooking of crabs further led to higher concentrations in claw meat. The effect of season on cadmium levels was different in the North and South and no clear patterns could be identified, probably due to a high inter-individual variation in cadmium levels. Size showed a correlation with the total amount of cadmium for crabs in the North indicating an accumulation of cadmium over time; together with a slower growth, this may lead to the higher cadmium levels, observed in the crabs from Northern Norway. The risk connected to cadmium exposure when consuming brown crab mainly depends on the consumption pattern, the parts of the crab consumed and the origin of the crab. Regardless of origin, the consumption of claw meat does not display a consumer health risk. However, the consumption of meals consisting of inner meat only and inner meat of brown crab from Northern Norway may pose a health risk.publishedVersio

Sampling of Atlantic salmon using the Norwegian Quality cut (NQC) vs. Whole fillet; differences in contaminant and nutrient contents

Risk- benefit assessments of seafood require high-quality food composition data. In accordance with EU regulations, Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) has conventionally been sampled using the Norwegian Quality Cut (NQC), a sub-cut of the middle section of the fish, in Norwegian surveillance programs. By comparing the contents of nutrients and contaminants in 34 samples of farmed Atlantic salmon, we aimed to evaluate the representativeness of the NQC compared with the whole fillet. Of the 129 analytes evaluated, eight single analytes, in addition to 25 different fatty acids, showed significant differences between the cuts. Significant differences were evident for total fat, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and sum PCB-6, but not for the sum of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs. We further suggest that the NQC may still be used in large-scale sampling of Atlantic salmon, and that the whole fillet would be preferable when analysing the content of nutrients.publishedVersio

Temperature Dependent Depuration of Norovirus GII and Tulane Virus from Oysters (Crassostrea gigas)

Raw oysters are considered a culinary delicacy but are frequently the culprit in food-borne norovirus (NoV) infections. As commercial depuration procedures are currently unable to efficiently eliminate NoV from oysters, an optimisation of the process should be considered. This study addresses the ability of elevated water temperatures to enhance the elimination of NoV and Tulane virus (TuV) from Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas). Both viruses were experimentally bioaccumulated in oysters, which were thereafter depurated at 12 °C and 17 °C for 4 weeks. Infectious TuV and viral RNA were monitored weekly for 28 days by TCID50 and (PMAxx-) RT-qPCR, respectively. TuV RNA was more persistent than NoV and decreased by  1.0 log10 at this time. For RT-qPCR there was no detectable benefit of elevated water temperatures or PMAxx for either virus (p > 0.05). TuV TCID50 decreased steadily, and reductions were significantly different between the two temperatures (p  3.0 log10 were observed at 17 °C, while at 12 °C reductions did not exceed 1.9 log10. The length of depuration also had an influence on virus numbers. TuV reductions increased from  4.0 log10 after 4 weeks. This implies that an extension of the depuration period to more than seven days, possibly in combination with elevated water temperatures, may be beneficial for the inactivation and removal of viral pathogens.publishedVersio

Cadmium analyses of products of edible crab purchased in 2016

Prosessering og geografisk opprinnelse påvirker kadmiumnivåer i krabbe. For å undersøke kadmiumnivåene i krabbeprodukter tilgjengelig for forbrukere, analyserte vi ulike produkter av taskekrabbe (Cancer pagurus) kjøpt inn i butikker i Bergensområdet og i Svolvær i januar-mars 2016. Vi analyserte 21 hele kokte krabber (klokjøtt og brunmat), 55 løse krabbeklør, 50 fylte krabbeskjell, 20 bokser hermetisk krabbe naturell og 15 bokser hermetisk krabbepostei. Brunmat av de hele kokte krabbene hadde de høyeste kadmiumnivåene, med et gjennomsnitt på 4,0 mg/kg våtvekt. Hermetisk krabbepostei og fylte krabbeskjell hadde de nesthøyeste kadmiumnivåene, med gjennomsnitt på henholdsvis 1,3 og 0,95 mg/kg våtvekt. Både brunmat, hermetisk krabbepostei og fylte krabbeskjell hadde gjennomsnittlige kadmiumverdier over 0,5 mg/kg, grenseverdien som for krabbe gjelder klokjøtt. Klokjøtt fra løse klør hadde de laveste kadmiumnivåene, med gjennomsnitt på 0,010 mg/kg og ingen over grenseverdien. Klokjøtt av helkokte krabber hadde et snitt på 0,12 mg/kg, der en prøve var over grenseverdien. Hermetisk krabbe naturell hadde betydelig lavere kadmiumnivå enn hermetisk krabbepostei og fylte krabbeskjell, men høyere enn klokjøtt, med gjennomsnittlig kadmiumkonsentrasjon på 0,25 mg/kg og ingen prøve over 0,5 mg/kg.publishedVersio

Nasjonalt tilsynsprogram for produksjon av skjell og andre bløtdyr - prøver analysert i 2020 for kjemiske forurensende stoffer og mikroorganismer

I den mikrobiologiske delen av tilsynsprogrammet for skjell, tok Mattilsynet i 2020 ut i alt 192 prøver fordelt gjennom året. Av disse var 130 blåskjell (Mytilus edulis), 28 kamskjell (Pecten maximus), 20 flatøsters (Ostrea edulis), tre stillehavsøsters (Crassostrea gigas), fire av hjerteskjell (Cardiidae sp.), tre av teppeskjell (Politapes rhomboides), to av kongsnegl (Buccinum undatum) og to av oskjell (Modiolus modiolus). Prøvene ble sendt til Havforskningsinstituttet (HI) etter instruks utarbeidet av Mattilsynet, Seksjon for fisk og sjømat. Ved HIs laboratorier ble antall E. coli ble bestemt ved en flerrørs fortynningsmetodikk (MPN) i henhold til EUs referansemetode (Donovans metode, ISO 16649-3) og undersøkt med hensyn på forekomst av Salmonella ved hjelp av Bio-Rad Rapid`Salmonella metoden.Nasjonalt tilsynsprogram for produksjon av skjell og andre bløtdyr - prøver analysert i 2020 for kjemiske forurensende stoffer og mikroorganismerpublishedVersio

Iodine Bioavailability and Accumulation of Arsenic and Cadmium in Rats Fed Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima)

Suboptimal iodine status is a prominent public health issue in several European coun-tries. Brown algae have a high iodine content that, upon intake, may exceed the recommended dietary intake level, but iodine bioavailability has been reported to be lower than from potassium iodide (KI) and highly depends on algae species. Further, potential negative effects from other components in algae, such as cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As), have also been addressed. In this study, we observed a lower bioavailability of iodine from farmed sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) than from KI in female Wistar IGS rats. Urinary iodine excretion was 94–95% in rats fed KI and 73–81% in rats fed sugar kelp, followed by increased faecal iodine levels in rats fed sugar kelp. No effects on body weight, feed efficiency, or plasma markers for liver or kidney damage were detected. The highest dose of iodine reduced plasma free thyroxine (fT4) and total T4 levels, but no significant effects on circulating levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free triiodo-thyronine (fT3) were detected. Faeces and urine measurements indicate that 60–80% of total As and 93% of Cd ingested were excreted in rats fed 0.5 and 5% kelp. Liver metabolomic profiling demonstrates that a high inclusion of sugar kelp in the diet for 13 weeks of feeding modulates metabolites with potential antioxidant activity and phytosterols.publishedVersio