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Studies of extractable organohalogens in farmed Atlantic salmon muscle and skin by neutron activation in conjunction with size exclusion and solid phase extraction chromatography

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Abstract

An instrumental neutron activation analysis method in conjunction with Compton suppression spectrometry was developed for the simultaneous determination of nanogram levels of Cl, Br and I in salmon muscle and skin. Several non-chlorinated solvent systems were evaluated for the extraction of lipids containing organohalogens and an acetone-hexane (1:1) system was selected because it gave the highest extraction efficiency with least contamination. An extensive quality assurance program was designed. Lipid fractionation procedures were developed using size exclusion, solid phase extraction and thin layer chromatography followed by characterization using 1H, 13C and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. Results show that both muscle and skin had high levels of triacylglycerols.

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Data availability

The data presented in this manuscript are available in the MSc thesis of one of the coauthors (Najat H.O. Bahroun).

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thankfully acknowledge the cooperation of the Dalhousie University SLOWPOKE-2 Reactor (DUSR) facility for irradiations, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada for Research Operating/Discovery, Strategic Research Operating and Equipment, Major Facilities Access, and Research Network grants to AC, and the Dalhousie University Faculty of Graduate Studies for a graduate stipend to NHOB. This paper was presented as a plenary Lecture at the International Conference on Nuclear Analytical Techniques 2022 (NAT2022) held in Daejeon, Korea during 2022 December 07-09.

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  1. Najat H. O. Bahroun

    Present address: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Zawia, Zawia, Libya

  2. Joe W. Kiceniuk

    Present address: , D’Escousse, Nova Scotia, B0E 1K0, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Trace Analysis Research Centre, 6274 Coburg Road, Room 212, PO BOX 15000, Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada

    Najat H. O. Bahroun, Joe W. Kiceniuk & A. Chatt

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  1. Najat H. O. Bahroun
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Correspondence to A. Chatt.

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Bahroun, N.H.O., Kiceniuk, J.W. & Chatt, A. Studies of extractable organohalogens in farmed Atlantic salmon muscle and skin by neutron activation in conjunction with size exclusion and solid phase extraction chromatography. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 332, 5155–5173 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09022-z

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