Effect of cooking temperatures on chemical changes in species of organic arsenic in seafood

The concentrations of arsenobetaine (AB), tetramethylarsonium ion (TMA(+)), and trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO) were determined in samples of sole, dory, hake, and sardine, raw and after being subjected to cooking processes-baki ng, frying, and grilling-at various temperatures. In all cases, the tempera ture attained inside the product during the cooking process was measured. T he arsenic species extracted from the samples with methanol/water were sepa rated by means of a column switching technique between a PRP-X100 column an d a PRP-X200 column. AE was detected by hydride generation atomic absorptio n spectrometry, whereas TMA+ and TMAO were detected by hydride generation a tomic fluorescence spectrometry. The results obtained showed that, in all o f the types of seafood studied; TMA(+) appeared after cooking, possibly bec ause heating facilitates decarboxylation of AB to TMA(+).