Arsenolipids in raw and cooked seafood products in southwest China: A non-targeted analysis

Abstract

Arsenolipids are the primary form of arsenic in the fat of marine organisms. Because seafood is a common source of arsenic exposure and some arsenolipids are toxic, studying the abundance and species of arsenolipids in seafood is crucial for health risk assessment. Current arsenolipid research is confined by analytical techniques and limited to raw seafood analysis, despite the fact that most seafood is ingested cooked. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate which seafood contributes to arsenolipid dietary intake and investigate the changes in arsenolipids before and after cooking. In Chongqing, China, popular seafood such as clam, shrimp, oyster, abalone, hairtail, and yellow croaker were collected. The raw and cooked samples prepared from these seafood products were examined using a non-targeted screening approach established for arsenolipids, which coupled high-performance liquid chromatography with data-independent high-resolution quadrupole-time-of-flight electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Arsenic-containing hydrocarbons (AsHC330, AsHC332, and AsHC360), arsenic-containing fatty acids (AsFA362, AsFA390, AsFA404, AsFA418, and AsFA422), trimethylarsine oxide, and thiolated trimethylarsinic acid were detected. The species of arsenolipids in each type of seafood remained intact after heating in the microwave oven. In cooked samples, the concentrations of AsFA362 and AsFA390 were significantly lower than in raw samples, whereas the concentrations of other arsenolipids were unchanged. Microwave cooking did not result in the thiolation of the detected arsenolipids. The most detected species in raw and cooked samples were AsFA362, AsFA390, and AsFA418. Most arsenolipid species were found in the highest levels in hairtails and yellow croakers. It is the first time that arsenolipids have been found in the oyster, abalone, abalone liver, and yellow croaker. The present study contributes to a better understanding of arsenolipids exposure from seafood, which is useful for assessing the health risks of arsenic.

Keywords: Arsenic exposure; Arsenolipids; Cooking; HPLC/Mass spectrometry; Seafood; Transformation.