Residues & Contaminants in Fish & Aquaculture

Environmental contaminants play a major role in fish and seafood as they are taken up via water and sediments and are accumulated especially in fish feeding on other fish and in mussels. Heavy metals, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other persistent organic pollutants and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are of major importance.

Veterinary drugs play a role in aquaculture to cure and prevent diseases, antibiotics, antiparasitics and also hormones are of concern. In addition, further residues and contaminants may enter aquacultural products via feed and feed additives, namely heavy metals, dioxins, PCBs, PAHs, mycotoxins and pesticides, or may be formed or introduced during fish processing and storage.

Our comprehensive portfolio for residues and contaminants in fish at a glance:

Veterinary drug residues, more than 200 actives:

• antibiotics, e.g. nitrofurans, chloramphenicol, tetracyclines and others
• antiparasitics, e.g. triphenylmethane dyes (malachite green), avermectins, nitroimidazols
• harmones

Inorganic contaminants

• heavy metals, e.g. lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic
• radionuclides, caesium-134 and caesium-137

Organic contaminants

• polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)
• dioxins
• other persistent organic pollutants, e.g. brominated flame-retardants, perfluorinated tensides (PFT)
• polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), e.g. benzo[a]pyrene, PAH4
• plasticisers, e.g. phthalates
• mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOSH, MOAH)
• mycotoxins, e.g. aflatoxins, ochratoxin, deoxynivalenol and others

Pesticide residues

• insecticides, e.g. organochlorine pesticides, organophosphorous pesticides, toxaphene
• herbicides, e.g. trifluralin, ethoxiquin 

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