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BackgroundFish constitutes a nutritious food that deteriorates quickly when poorly preserved. Several biochemicals, including formaldehyde, accumulate naturally in the fish post-mortem. Apart from this natural formaldehyde, reports reveal the deliberate addition of formalin (37% formaldehyde solution) to the stored fish as a preservative. This is risky to consumers since formaldehyde is carcinogenic, genotoxic, and a potentiator of other carcinogens.AimThis study aimed to assess both the organoleptic quality and formaldehyde content of mackerels, the most consumed fish in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.MethodsA total of 60 mackerel samples were conveniently and equally obtained from the local markets, street vendors, and supermarkets in five districts of the Dar es Salaam region. Organoleptic quality was evaluated based on organoleptic characteristics. Formaldehyde analysis was done by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Analysis of variance was subsequently run to test the variation of formaldehyde content in mackerel by outlet type and district.ResultsAll analyzed mackerel samples had acceptable levels of organoleptic quality (2.46 ± 0.50) and a mean formaldehyde concentration of 10.89 ± 2.44 mg/kg. On average, the samples from supermarkets had the highest level of organoleptic quality (2.20 ± 0.21) but were also the most contaminated with formaldehyde (16.07 ± 4.68 mg/kg), while those from local markets were the least contaminated (3.91 ± 1.86 mg/kg) (p = 0.000). Moreover, 0% (n = 0), 20% (n = 4), and 35% (n = 7) of samples from local markets, street vendors, and supermarkets, respectively, had formaldehyde concentrations above 20 mg/kg, the previously estimated highest concentration for naturally formed formaldehyde in fish.ConclusionMackerels marketed in Dar es Salaam have acceptable organoleptic quality but are substantially contaminated with formaldehyde. Whether this is natural or artificial formaldehyde, our findings are inconclusive given the conflicting global standards. Nonetheless, the findings reveal the potential exposure of fish consumers to formaldehyde. Future research should explore the dynamics of the accumulation of natural formaldehyde in marketed fish and accurately assess the risk associated with the exposure of consumers to the formaldehyde in fish. The emanating findings will ultimately guide the development of local guidelines for natural and permissible formaldehyde concentrations in fish and fish products in Tanzania.

Summary A new high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC)—densitometric method which can be employed in the routine analysis of miconazole in creams has been developed and validated as per the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines and the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) guidance. The method involves the use of a mobile phase composed of safer reagents for both the user and the environment than the previously available methods. In this method, ethyl acetate—ammonia solution 25% (25:0.5 v / v ) was an optimum composition of a solvent system on precoated HPTLC silica gel 60 F 254 glass plates with a saturation time of 25 min and migration rate of 10.5 min per 70 mm migration distance. The R F value was 0.57 with no interferences from excipients or solvents at the detection wavelength of 228 nm. The relative standard deviation (RSD) values of 1.14 and 1.98 were obtained for repeatability and intermediate precision, respectively, of the method. The polynomial R 2 values computed on three successive days for linearity testing were 0.984, 9.81, and 0.992. Accuracy values between 97.95% and 106.86% were obtained when testing was performed at 80%, 100%, and 120% concentration levels. The method is of acceptable selectivity and reproducibility as well as of easy use.