ABSTRACT
Arsenolipids represent a relevant step in the biosynthesis of organoarsenicals from inorganic arsenic compounds. Their fate after human consumption is still uncertain. By means of a HPLC-ICP-MS/ESI-Q-TOF-MS method, 16 lipid soluble arsenic compounds, including seven formerly unknown organoarsenicals, have been identified in commercial herring fillet. The structural assignment was done by exact mass and high resolution MS/MS data. This is the first identification of arsenolipids in herring (Clupea harengus). They contribute with (3.6±0.2) mg kg(-1) arsenic to 62.3% of the total arsenic content of (5.7±0.3) mg of arsenic per kg dry mass. Current studies indicate that a metabolization by humans to cancerous dimethylarsinic acid is very likely. The presented results are highly relevant as herring is a very popular food fish species in Europe. Moreover, the screening of different fish species revealed that arsenolipids are more widespread than previously assumed.
Subject(s)
Arsenic/chemistry , Fishes , Lipids/chemistry , Animals , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray IonizationABSTRACT
A procedure has been developed for the determination of arsenobetaine in fish matrix by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Hereby (trimethylarsonium)-1,2-(13)C-acetate (arsenobetaine) is used as internal calibration standard. Arsenobetaine was determined in a fish material (Sea Bass) with an expanded uncertainty of 3.8%.
