Elemental Analysis of Flesh, Bones and Gills of Oreochromis niloticus Consumed in Nigeria for Improvement of Nutrition and Health

Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) was used to determine elemental concentrations in flesh, bones and gills of Oreochromis niloticus fish, an abundant and popularly consumed fish in Nigeria as a step to improvement of nutrition and health in the country. One hundred and twenty samples were collected from the research sites of the Ahmadu Bello University Reservoir. The samples were irradiated using a neutron flux of 5 x 1011 ncm-2s-1in inner site of the Nigeria Research Reactor-1 (NIRR-1). Results obtained indicate that calcium (5,000-186,600mg/kg) dominated in the organs, followed by potassium (3,400-12,300mg/kg) and the least was samarium (0.13-0.36mg/kg). Our result also shows that sample location had no significant (p?0.05) effect on concentration of the elements in the organs. The data obtained illustrated that Calcium, Magnesium and Manganese are predominant in bones and gills. Chlorine, Potassium and Sodium were found to be highly concentrated in the flesh and bones. While Vanadium, Lanthanum, Samarium and Uranium are more prominent in gills, Bromine is more visible in flesh and gills. In general, bones and gills were found to have the highest distribution of major elements. Manganese concentrations obtained in these organs are above the WHO reference values and apart from Manganese, the concentrations of Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium, and Chlorine obtained in these organs are above the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry recommendation. The study reveals that Oreochromis niloticus fish is a good bio-indicator of an aquatic environment pollution and fresh water contamination.