Seasonal variations in the body composition and bioaccumulation of heavy metals in Nile tilapia collected from drainage canals in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
Younis, Elsayed M. . 2015
Abstract The body composition of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) collected from drainage
canals in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia and the concentration of four heavy metals; zinc (Zn), cadmium
(Cd), cobalt (Co) and lead (Pb) in both fish muscles and the water collected from this environment
were assessed across the four seasons. The body composition was found to change with the seasons,
with the best body composition being recorded in autumn and winter, where higher levels of protein
(17.24, 17.65%), and fat (0.58, 0.71%) and lower water content (80.15, 79.86%) respectively were
noted. The concentration of heavy metals in both fish muscles and the water body also varied significantly
with the seasons. In the fish muscles, the highest content of Zn (0.409 mg/kg dry weight)
and Cd (4.140 mg/kg dry weight) was recorded in winter, however, the highest concentration of Co
(0.318 mg/kg dry weight) and Pb (1.96 mg/kg dry weight) was observed in spring and summer
respectively. On the other hand, the water samples collected in autumn showed the maximum concentration
of Cd (1.385 mg/L), Co (0.762 mg/L) and Pb (0.18 mg/L) however, the maximum concentration
of Zn (0.0041 mg/L) was recorded in winter. With the exception of Cd, the
accumulation of the studied heavy metals in fish muscles was within the safe limits for seafood recommended
by various organizations.
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