Investigating the Concentration Levels of PCBs in Farmed Fish Feed

Overview

Objectives/Goals The focus of my project was to investigate if two of the most widely used brands of fish feeds, Rangen and EWOS, are one of the major sources of Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCBs) contamination in farmed salmon. Prior research studies indicate that wild-caught salmon contain fewer PCBs than farm-raised salmon. Therefore, I hypothesized that both Rangen and EWOS fish feeds will contain PCB contaminations of at least 0.05 parts per million. Methods/Materials First, the collected samples were separated and properly labeled. The PCBs (if any) were then extracted from the samples by using a Methylene Chloride/acetone solvent. These extracts were concentrated by evaporating the Methlyene Chloride/acetone solvent with a Rotovap. Then, the MC/acetone solvent was exchanged into Hexane solvent. Acid was then added to the samples in order to remove the organic components and clear up the solvent. After that, the solvent was put onto a Gas Chromatography (GC) instrument for analysis. Results No PCBs were found in either brand of fish feed, Rangen nor EWOS. Conclusions/Discussion My experiment concludes that Rangen and EWOS fish feeds are not one of the major sources of PCB contamination in farmed salmon.

Awards (1)

• Fourth Place

Competition history

• CSEF 2013 Product Science (Biological) (Junior Division Only) · Entry J2019

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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