Transfer of PCDDs and PCDFs into the edible parts of farmed rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), via feed

This study was carried out to quantify the transfer of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) from commercial fish feed into the edible part of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum) under normal rearing conditions. Trout were fed with high-energy feed for salmon (fat content 26–30%) over a period of 19 months. The average weight of the fish increased from 10 g to more than 2092 g, reaching a size of up to 51-cm length (Tl). Considerable amounts of PCDDs and PCDFs were transferred from the fish feed into the tissue of the trout. Dioxin concentrations increased during the time of feeding from 0.054 up to 0.914 ng WHO-PCDD/F-TEQs kg−1 wet weight and from 4.991 to 15.815 ng WHO-PCDD/F-TEQs kg−1 fat. A correlation was found between the dioxin concentration of the feed and the resulting concentration in the fat of the muscle tissue. The data allow the establishment of transfer rates from a high-energy diet to farmed rainbow trout.