Incidence of Parasites on Frozen Alaska Pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus, Pallas, 1814) Fillets

Abstract: The presence of parasites in marine fish is a serious problem for the fishing industry in many countries. Some species of parasites can present a risk to consumers. Human health can be compromised by allergic reactions to parasitic antigens (hypersensitivity). The aim of the present study was to report the occurrence of parasite larvae in samples of frozen Alaskan fish fillets. A total of 108 samples of frozen Alaska pollock fish fillet were purchased from commercial establishments in the state of São Paulo - Brazil, from July 2017 to November 2019. The parasite search was carried out using the method dissection under transmitted light (candling table) according to AOAC (2005), method 985.12. Only 18 samples (17%), from four different brands, did not present any parasitic form, the others (90 samples) had at least one parasitic form, with the presence of cestodes of the order Trypanorhyncha (found in 73 samples) and nematodes of the Anisakidae family prevailing (found in 57 samples). It was also observed that more than half of the studied samples (76 samples) presented up to 5 parasitic forms in the kilogram rate. The results demonstrate the need for more data regarding the incidence of parasites in fish and their impact on human health, in order to alert the population and health authorities about its dangers, so that preventive and corrective measures are taken in the inspection process of these products, aiming to reduce any possibility of the occurrence of illnesses.

Ocorrência de parasitas em amostras de peixe congelado tipo polaca do alasca (theragra chalcogramma), comercializadas na região do grande ABC, no período de julho de 2017 a agosto de 2018

O consumo de peixes no Brasil vem aumentando consideravelmente nos últimos anos, isso se deve principalmente aos benefícios relacionados a saúde como fonte de nutrientes, proteínas, ácidos graxos, baixa quantidade de gordura, entre outros fatores. No entanto pesquisas revelaram a presença de parasitas em alguns tipos de peixe, inclusive em Polaca do Alasca (Theragra chalcogramma) comercializado em vários países e de grande aceitação no Brasil por ser de baixo custo. Os cestódeos da Ordem Trypanorhyncha e os nematódeos da família Anisakidae são comumente encontrados neste tipo de peixe, relacionados principalmente ao risco de reações alérgicas ou maiores complicações caso haja larvas viáveis da família Anisakidae. Este trabalho foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de apresentar resultados da ocorrência de parasitas em amostras de filés de peixes congelados tipo Polaca do Alasca (Theragra chalcogramma). No total foram...(AU)