A total of one hundred random samples of ready to eat (RTE) fish products represented by fried Oreochromis niloticus, grilled Oreochromis niloticus, smoked Herring and salted Sardine (25 of each) were collected from different fish markets and restaurants in Menofia governorate, Egypt. The aim of this study was to estimate the concentration levels of chemical residues such as heavy metals residues (mercury, lead and cadmium) and pesticides residues (aldrin and malathion) through subjection the examined samples to atomic absorption spectrophotometer for detecting the residues of mercury, lead and cadmium and gas chromatography for the residues of aldrin and malathion. The mean values of mercury (mg/Kg) in fried O. niloticus, grilled O. niloticus, smoked herring and salted sardine were 0.43±0.01, 0.59±0.01, 0.70±0.01 and 0.94±0.02, respectively. The mean values of lead (mg/Kg) in fried O. niloticus, grilled O. niloticus, smoked herring and salted sardine were 0.27±0.01, 0.33±0.01, 0.45±0.01 and 0.61±0.01, respectively. The mean values of cadmium (mg/Kg) in fried O. niloticus, grilled O. niloticus, smoked herring and salted sardine were 0.11±0.01, 0.14±0.01, 0.20±0.01 and 0.29±0.01, respectively. The mean values of aldrin (ppb) only detected in fried O. niloticus, grilled O. niloticus and salted sardine were 82.95±4.19, 151.26±7.40 and 193.02±8.81, respectively. The mean values of malathion (ppb) only detected in grilled O. niloticus and salted sardine were 96.57 and 248.19±10.32, respectively. As conclusion, chemical examination of RTE fish products is a sensitive indicator verifying the quality and good hygienic status of RTE fish products.
Keywords: Mercury; Lead; Cadmium; Aldrin; Malathion