Reduction of perfluorinated compound content in fish cake and swimming crab by different cooking methods

Abstract

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are widely used in industries, and have become common environmental pollutants. Consumption of aquatic foods and its processed products can result in the accumulation and maintenance of PFCs in organs of human body, which can lead to toxic consequences and poisoning. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reducing effects of PFC contents in fish cake and swimming crab by different cooking conditions. Fish cake was processed with blanching, boiling, frying, stir-frying and swimming crab was pretreated with soaking and cooked by steaming and stewing. The change of PFCs were determined using LC–MS/MS. Boiling reduced the total PFCs in fish cake by up to 45.9%. As for swimming crab, soaking, steaming and stewing have reduced 65.7%, 17.6% and 13.3% of PFCs, respectively. These results suggest that cooking method involving water addition and high-temperature heating would be effective at reducing PFCs (PFOA especially) in food.