DETERMINATION OF ORGANOPHOSPHATES PESTICIDES IN OIL SAUCE OF SELECTED CANNED FISH SOLD IN WARRI, DELTA STATE.

ABSTRACT To assess the safety of canned fish consumed in Nigeria and enhance the understanding of its risks and benefits, it is essential to determine contaminant levels, including organophosphate pesticides (OPPs) in it. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine organophosphate pesticides (OPPs) in oil sauce of some brands of canned sardines sold in Warri, Delta State. A total of five (5) different brands of canned sardine were purchased from a supermarket in Warri, Nigeria. The OPPs in the samples were quantified with a gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) after extraction with acetonitrile and acetone. The concentrations of Σ14 OPPs in the oil sauce of the canned sardines ranged from 5.71 to 8.75 ng/g. The study showed that the oil sauce of these canned sardines were contaminated with OPPs. The analytical results showed that organophosphate pesticides were present in varying concentrations across the five brands of canned fish oils. NAPA_OIL had the highest total OPP concentration (8.28 ng/g), while BLUEPEARL_OIL had the lowest (5.03 ng/g). The consistent presence of Azinphos-ethyl, Pyraclofos, and Chlorpyrifos-methyl across multiple brands indicates that these pesticides may persist through the fish processing and canning chain, possibly due to contamination from aquatic environments or raw materials. According to WHO/FAO guidelines, the maximum residue limit (MRL) for organophosphate pesticides in fish products typically ranges from 10 ng/g to 50 ng/g depending on the compound (WHO/FAO, 2021). The detected levels in this study were well below these thresholds, suggesting that the products are within safe consumption limits. However, long-term exposure to even low concentrations can pose chronic health risks such as neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, and oxidative stress.