Abstract
Marine fish is a rich source of minerals in the diet of humans, but seasonal variation in fish mineral concentrations is relatively unstudied. We investigated seasonal mineral concentrations among four marine fish species retained by small scale fishers in Msambweni and Vanga fishing villages in Kenya. The fish species were Siganus sutor (rabbitfish) in Msambweni and Decapterus macarellus (mackerel scad), Sphraena forsteri (bigeye barracuda) and Sphyraena obtusata (obtuse barracuda) in Vanga. Mineral concentrations were quantified in 120 fish specimens (60/season) and their mineral supplementation potential evaluated. The concentrations of Potassium (K), Magnesium (Mg), Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe) and Iodine (I) were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry. K, Mg, Zn and I levels in fish samples varied between seasons with higher concentrations during the wet and cool southeast monsoon (SEM) season (April to October). However, Fe concentration was significantly higher during the dry and warm northeast monsoon (NEM) (November to March). S. fosteri recorded the highest concentrations of Mg (72.29 mg/100g in SEM) and Fe (3.63 mg/100g in NEM). S. sutor was the richest source of K (410.21 mg/100g in SEM). These two species also recorded the highest concentration of I (57.6 μg/100g in SEM) while D. macarellus had the highest Zn concentration (5.84 mg/100g in SEM). Mineral concentrations were dependent on fish species as well as season, influencing the mineral intake in Msambweni and Vanga villages.