Synthetic Musk Fragrances in Seafood: Occurrence, Influence of Culinary Practices, and In Vitro Bioaccessibility

The bioaccumulation of synthetic fragrances in aquatic species has been observed worldwide. Indeed, these compounds can cause negative effects on wildlife and biodiversity, and their presence in seafood is of great concern due to the potentially harmful effects on human health, namely their endocrine-disrupting activity. Among fragrances, polycyclic musks such as galaxolide, tonalide, celestolide, and cashmeran, and the nitro musks xylene and ketone are the main compounds found in algae, clams, crabs, fish, lobster, mussels, octopus, oysters, shrimps, and squid, with galaxolide and tonalide presenting the highest contents and incidence. In parallel, the application of cooking practices contributed to a significant decrease in galaxolide and tonalide content and their by-products in fish samples when compared to uncooked matrices. However, there is evidence that cooking can increase the bioaccessible fraction of certain polycyclic musks in fish. In summary, this chapter focuses on the occurrence of synthetic musk fragrances in seafood from worldwide locations, including a discussion on the effects of cooking processes on the levels of polycyclic musks, as well as an evaluation of the bioaccessibility of these chemicals using in vitro digestion models.