Pangasius full of toxins and antibiotics? What does the research say?

Pangasius, a freshwater fish that finds its way to the European market from breeding in Vietnam, has had a very bad press so far. Its advantages, i.e. the price, the lack of bones and the neutral taste, have been overshadowed by the disadvantages. Much has been written about abusive breeding where crowded fish were fed with antibiotics. Although sales of panga in Europe are falling, voices are also heard that it may have been canceled prematurely.

1. Taking into account the content of fatty acids, vitamins and trace elements in the meat, pangasius falls on average compared to other fish.
2. A constant problem with industrial breeding is the administration of antibiotics to fish, the remains of which have also been carved in pang meat.
3. In recent years, Vietnamese breeders have focused on improving the quality of breeding combined with greater care for the environment. Does it mean that we get better quality fish and we no longer have to be afraid of eating panga?
4. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

Pangasius – what is this fish?

Pangasius is a white fish with firm flesh and a neutral flavor. The last feature is appreciated not only by children, but also by all those who would like to taste other ingredients in a fish dish.

Under natural conditions, pangas live in the Mekong River delta, but those that go to our tables come from industrial farms. The freshwater fish farming sector in Vietnam is one of the largest in the world.

Pangasius – properties

Fish provides us with lean protein and heart-supporting omega-3 fatty acids. Against this background, the panga looks poor. Its meat has an average protein content (13,1 g / 100 g) compared to other popular fish, and it has even fewer omega-3 fatty acids. 100 grams of farmed fish contain an average of 0,09 g of omega-3 fatty acids, while fish living in the natural environment already have 0,46 g / 100 g.

It will also not provide us with too much vitamins (no vitamin D, a small amount of vitamin B12) or minerals. It is poor in iodine and selenium. It also contains more sodium than potassium. The fish allegedly owes its high sodium content to the addition of polyphosphates to its fillets, including sodium polyphosphate (E451), which maintains the texture and moisture of the meat during long transport from Asia.

1. Read also: The five healthiest species of fish

Nevertheless, according to the data of the Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics, after 2010 the import of this fish increased and was almost three times higher than the total sale of freshwater fish from domestic fish farms. Poles usually buy frozen fish, mainly fillets, and eat pollock, pangasius and tilapia in this form. Despite unfavorable PR, panga ranks third in terms of consumption. It is followed by salmon, mackerel, sprat and cod.

Americans compared the composition of salmon panga meat. And so 113 g of raw pangasius is:

70 calories, 15 g protein, 1,5 g fat, 11 g omega-3 fatty acids, 45 g cholesterol, 0 carbohydrates, 350 mg sodium, 14 percent. the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) of niacin, 19 percent RDI of vitamin B12 and 26 percent. Selenium RDI. The same serving of salmon contains 24 g of protein and 1200 – 2400 mg of omega-3 fatty acids.

Overall, panga is a good source of selenium. However, the amounts of micronutrients can vary depending on what the fish are being fed. And pangasius is 90 percent fish. herbivorous, so its feed consists mainly of rice bran, soybeans and rapeseed. And here, many consumers are controversial about soybeans and rapeseed, plants that are genetically modified.

Do you have to avoid panga?

Seafood Watch lists pangasius as a fish to avoid, as many fish farms in the Mekong Delta produce waste that is illegally dumped into the river.

Incorrect disposal of sewage containing residues of chemicals, including disinfectants, antiparasitic agents and antibiotics, seems to be of particular concern.

Another issue is mercury contamination. Many studies have found that pangs of mercury are exceeded acceptable levels. The limit recommended by the World Health Organization was exceeded in as much as 50 percent. tested samples. Scientists from Italy have shown that almost 13 percent. the tested fish contained mercury in amounts exceeding 0,5 mg per kilogram of meat. The presence of mercury in the panda has also been confirmed by scientists from Brazil. However, as early as 2018, another study was published that showed that in most cases, pangs did not contain hazardous amounts of mercury. It has been calculated that by eating 350 g of pangasius (1 large fillet) per week, we provide the body with approx. 30 percent. the acceptable weekly dose of mercury. There is nothing to worry about, but you shouldn’t feed your children too often pangasius.

1. See also: Sea fish and their health benefits

As these fish are kept in crowded tanks, the risk of infectious diseases increases. 70 to 80 percent samples taken from pangs exported to Poland, Germany and Ukraine were contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio, a microorganism responsible for food poisoning in crustaceans, but also in humans.

So if you like pangasius, it’s best to buy the ones that are certified organic. Look for the certification agency’s logo on the packaging. Also, don’t eat raw or undercooked fish. The minimum internal temperature of the meat should be around 63 degrees Celsius. Then we are sure that harmful bacteria, such as Vibrio, have been destroyed.

It is also worth reaching for other fish from time to time. In this way, we reduce the risk of overexposure to harmful substances contained in one specific species. Healthy alternatives to pangasius include salt and salmon.

Do pangasius contain antibiotics?

Fish, like all living organisms, are susceptible to bacterial infections. And so that the disease does not take a worrying scale, pangasius regularly receives antibiotics and other medications. Unfortunately, it may also happen that their meat contains remnants of all the medicaments they were fed with.

American studies of fish and seafood imported from Asia showed that pangasius farmed in Vietnam had the most frequently above-normal levels of drugs in meat. Over 37 kg of frozen pangasius fillets that shipped from there to the US were withdrawn from the market because they contained too much drug residues and contaminants.

In addition, frequent use of antibiotics causes the emergence of strains of bacteria resistant to them. If the same bacteria attack people, there is nothing to treat them.

Are pangs toxic?

Recently, scientists from the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands have studied the content of toxins in meat. It turned out that they found almost no pesticides or chemicals. The amounts of the toxic substances were so small that an adult could eat between 3,4 and 166 kg of panga a day for a lifetime without any negative health effects.

Most of the fish that enter the European market are certified by the ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council). It gives consumers the assurance that they are buying fish from sustainable farms where producers care about the environment.

The certification was established by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), and the certification process takes many months. Breeders are also regularly checked after being certified. Interestingly, it turns out that when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions, it is better for the environment to eat imported farmed fish that come to us in bulk by ships than those caught locally and transported in polluting trucks.

1. Find out more: Which fish have the most toxic mercury in them?

Finally, another pulse for pangs. The impact of breeding these fish on the marine environment is much smaller than that of predatory fish. It takes 30 kg of other fish to produce 4 kg of tuna, 0,4 kg of farmed salmon and only XNUMX kg of pangasius. In addition, pangasius does not accumulate as much chemical impurities in meat as salmon or tuna.

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