3rd European GREEN Conference – EGC 2025
10-13 June 2025 | Vodice, CROATIA
KeyNote Speaker
Prof. Dr. ANA GAVRILOVIĆ
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture (Croatia)
How safe tuna is for human consumption?
Ana GAVRILOVIĆ, Jurica JUG-DUJAKOVIĆ
Abstract
In recent decades, the trend of healthy food has led to an increase in fish consumption. Different species of tuna, a rich source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, present one of the most widely consumed fish groups. According to the FAO’s recent statistics, during the period January–September 2024 their world trade (fresh, frozen and canned) was estimated at 3.07 million tons valued at USD 11.86 billion, representing rises of 20 % and 1.28 % compared to the same period in 2023. At the same time, mercury contamination in fish, particularly in tuna, shark, swordfish and marlin, has caused significant consumer concern. These predatory species, due to their position in the food chain, accumulate more mercury than other popular seafood items. Mercury is a metal that is found to affect the human nervous system and can affect even brain development in children. It is found naturally in the environment but also as a result of waste disposal or discharge from industrial facilities. Its accumulation in fish depends on many different factors, such as species, age, size, geographical location, water quality parameters, etc. To assure the safety of different food products, food safety agencies have set maximum permitted levels of mercury in food, tolerable weekly intake, as well as recommendations/guidelines for consumers. In this review, to understand how we can safely consume this valuable and delicate fish, an overview of mercury accumulation in different fish species, as well as the meaning of tolerable weekly intake and maximum permitted levels, are explained in detail.
Short biography
Ana Gavrilović, PhD, is a professor and the head of the postgraduate professional study of Fisheries at the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Zagreb. She is also a visiting professor at the Study of Marine Science at the Juraj Dobrila University in Pula. In more than 20 years of her professional, scientific and educational career in aquaculture and fisheries, she was the head of Marine Sciences study at the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, the head of R&D at the Mariculture Business Innovation Center of the University of Dubrovnik, and a lecturer at the Faculty of Aquaculture of the University of Dubrovnik. Her broad scientific and professional interests includes physiology and technology of cultivation of aquatic organisms, design and construction of aquaculture systems, sustainable management and disposal of solid and liquid waste from farms and processing plants, sustainable environmental management, application and development of new technologies in aquaculture, fisheries and aquatic biodiversity monitoring, and the safety and quality of aquaculture and fisheries products. She has worked as a consultant on several commercial aquaculture projects in Croatia and abroad, and occasionally as an expert for the World Bank in the field of aquaculture and fisheries. In 2022, she became a member of the Mission Board for the Restore Our Ocean and Waters EC Mission, and a member of the FAO’s EIFAAC Technical and Scientific Committee. She was a leader, coordinator, science communication coordinator and collaborator on numerous scientific and technological projects and has published more than 200 professional and scientific papers, one book, and a book chapter. Ana is a co-inventor of two patents and three protected industrial designs.
Email: agavrilovic@agr.hr
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