The concentration of mercury in the tuna can be reduced by a simple method. The solution indicated by the researchers

The benefits of fish consumption are well known, but fears about mercury contamination, especially in the case of tone, are a concern for many of those who are afraid to eat as much as they would like.

The canned tone can be used in salads. Photo shutterstock

However, scientists have discovered how to reduce the levels of mercury in the fish by up to 35 % by a change in the packaging mode, according to Sciencealert.

A team made up of researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the Chalmers University has shown that this is possible by adding cysteine ​​amino acid to tuna cans, which it is considered to contain the highest amount of mercury.

Tuna, submerged in water with cysteine

Researchers say that when the tone is submerged in water containing cysteine, the new solution eliminates between 25 and 35 % of fish mercury, according to laboratory tests.

The longer the time the tone was in contact with the solution is higher, the more mercury it was removed from fish to liquid.

“It could increase the safety margin for fish consumption”

The researchers opted for Cysteine ​​due to the way mercury is linked to it and following a previous study of the elimination of mercury, conducted by the same researchers.,

“The beauty of this type of packaging is that it is active while the product is on the shelf. No additional production stages would be required if such a method were used at the industrial level. Applying our results could increase safety margin for fish consumption“, The chemist Przemysław Strachowski, of the Chalmers University of Technology, is the opinion of the chemist.

The authors of the study have not noticed notable changes in the appearance or smell of fish samples treated with cysteine, and the elimination of mercury continued for up to two weeks.

In addition, no additional additives were needed for the solution to work.

Although there is an additional research to turn this solution into a practical option for fish storage, the first signs are promising, and the methods described could be improved in the future, say the study authors