Original Articles: 2016 Vol: 8 Issue: 2
Metallic contamination (Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Fe, Co) of the Octopus (Octopus Vulgaris Cuvier, on 1797) fished in the Mediterranean coast from the north east of Morocco
Abstract
Like several other cephalopod species, the Octopus vulgaris is part of the traditional diet of coastal populations around the Mediterranean, and is one of Morocco's main exports among the fishery products. Furthermore, the levels of contaminants in cephalopods are a source of the major preoccupation for the public health. Several studies have shown that cephalopods had the ability to accumulate metal contaminants with high levels in their organs (digestive gland, heart, gill...).In order to assess the level of contamination of the Octopus vulgaris caught in the Moroccan coast, we have determined the concentration of certain essential metal elements (Cu, Fe, Zn, Co) and non-essential (Cd, Pb) in different organs (bronchial heart, digestive gland and flesh) of the cephalopod mollusk fished in the Mediterranean coast of the Nador city. Samples were obtained from commercial fishing landings during the summer and winter seasons of 2014. The concentration of different elements was performed with inductively coupled plasma- atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES).The highest metal concentrations were obtained from the Octopus in the summer season. Heavy metal levels varied considerably between fish organs. As provided, the flesh often has the lowest concentrations of most metals studied, and digestive gland is the target organ of accumulation of Cd, However, Pb, Zn, Cu and iron had their highest concentrations in the gills. Otherwise the comparison to the standards set by the WHO, the concentrations of metallic elements studied were generally within the allowable limit for human consumption and below the levels found in other studies.