Unsaturated hydrocarbons in muscle and hepatopancreas of two crab species, Chionoecetes opilio and Hyas coarctatus

Abstract Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminants and biogenic unsaturated hydrocarbons were identified in muscle and hepatopancreas of two crab species, collected nearshore and offshore the island of Newfoundland. A correlation was made between the compounds present in hepatopancreas and in surface sediments collected from Conception Bay, Newfoundland. The bioaccumulation of unsaturated compounds differed slightly with species, while a large variation was noticed between tissues. Relatively greater levels of fluorescing compounds (PAC) were present in hepatopancreas than in muscle of the spider crab ( Hyas coarctatus ) or snow crab ( Chionoecetes opilio ), while a larger number of PAH was also present in that tissue. The unsaturated hydrocarbons fraction separated from the hepatopancreas extracts was quantified in terms of gravimetry, by ultraviolet/fluorescence (uv/f, four standards), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of a series of 25 PAC (GC-MS-SIM), as well as by the analysis of the predominant compounds (GC-MS-TIC). Results obtained by gravimetry were highest (20 μg g −1 , dry wt), levels of total fluorescing compounds (uv/f, 1.1 μg g −1 , in terms of chrysene units), of four unsaturated biogenic hydrocarbons ( −1 ) and of detectable parental and alkylated PAH (0.67 μg g −1 ) were relatively lower. As could be expected, these various concentrations in hepatopancreas samples were not equivalent, but reasonably complementary.

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