Effects of steaming on the concentration, distribution and bioaccessibility of cadmium in Chlamys farreri tissues

Scallops are delicious and healthy, but their filter feeding habits make them vulnerable to ingesting and accumulating toxic chemicals from the environment, resulting in food safety issues. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of steaming process on the concentration, distribution and bioaccessibility of cadmium (Cd) in Chlamys farreri tissues. The results indicated that the Cd concentration calculated based on wet weight (ww) increased from 0.3 mg/kg-28.1 mg/kg to 0.5 mg/kg-30.8 mg/kg after steaming, in which viscera was found to show the largest accumulation of Cd that accounted for 85 % of the total Cd in the fresh scallops. The proportion of Cd in viscera dropped to 66.5 %, while reached to 22.7 % in juice, indicating that steaming altered the Cd distribution in scallops. INFOGEST 2.0 was carried out to investigate the in vitro bioaccessibility of Cd (BCd) in C. farreri tissues. The result shows that steaming could improve edible safety of scallops by reducing the BCd in gonad and viscera. This current study directed safer scallop consumption, which would provide scientific support for incorporating physical cutting steps into the shellfish industrial pretreatment process, as well as suggestions for the targeted development of heavy metal removal technology in bivalves.