Comparison of the formaldehyde content in Indian Mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) fish using high performance liquid chromatography and UVVis spectrophotometry

Abstract

Because Goa is a favorite destination for international and national tourism, there is a great demand for seafood there. Formalin (30-40 percent of formaldehyde, FA) can be added as a preservative to many fishery products to extend shelf life. To access the risk of exposure to FA content, Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) was chosen and analyzed with Nash reagent using two different techniques: high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry. The study revealed FA at various levels of concentration (mg/kg). Higher exposure to FA content was found in fish and ice water from wholesale market samples using both methods. The FA content was 19.26 plus or minus 0.84 mg/kg in fresh fish, 39.37 plus or minus 0.93 mg/kg in wholesale market fish, and 32.95 plus or minus 1.05 mg/kg in retail market fish using spectrophotometry, whereas it was 4.00 plus or minus 0.15 mg/kg, 31.05 plus or minus 0.18 mg/kg, and 31.64 plus or minus 0.26 mg/kg in fresh fish, wholesale market, and retail market fish, respectively, using HPLC analysis.