Biomonitoring of chemical contaminants in fish consumed in the city of São Paulo to guarantee food safety

Abstract

Fish is an important source of protein in many countries around the world. In Brazil, due to cultural and socio-economical factors ,the consumption of fish is comparatively low and it presents strong regional differences. In average the Brazilians consume 7,0 kg/inhabitant/year (Hilsdorf e Pereira, 2008), but in the Amazonic Region the consumptiom rises to 55 kg/year. On the other hand, due to the fact that fish presents characteristics that make it a very healthy foodstuff, lately it has been observed a change in the nutritional profile of the Brazilian population. It is known that 100g of fish contains 80 calories and the same amount of lean beef has 210 calories (Lederle, 1991 apud Germano, et al., 2007,). Besides, fish are rich in high quality proteins of rapid digestion and are rich also in essential aminoacids and poli-insaturated fatty acids (omega-3) necessary to brain and body development, micronutrients, vitamins A and D, iron, phosphorus and calcium (Santos, 2006) [...]. (AU)