Determination of Formaldehyde Levels in Fish Samples Collected from Different Wet Markets of Birbhum, West Bengal, India

  • Unique Paper ID: 181247
  • PageNo: 4775-4786
  • Abstract:
  • The increasing use of chemical preservatives in food products, particularly in perishable items like fish, has raised significant concerns regarding public health and safety. The presence of formaldehyde in food, particularly in fish, is a growing public health concern due to its toxic, irritant, and carcinogenic properties. The present study was conducted to assess the level of formaldehyde in various fish species collected from multiple wet markets across four different markets in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, namely Dubrajpur, Chinpai, Kachujore, and Suri. Three fish species Labeo rohita, Labeo catla, and Dendrobranchiates were analyzed using UV-Vis spectrophotometry at 415 nm after extraction and derivatization with Nash reagent. The results revealed that the formaldehyde content ranged from 0.052 µg/g to 0.437 µg/g. The highest concentration was found in prawn from Kachujore bazar, while the lowest was observed in rohu from Chinpai bazar. This study serves as a small yet meaningful step toward highlighting the risks associated with unsafe food handling and the need for stricter monitoring and regulation. The study emphasizes the need for routine monitoring, better preservation practices, and consumer awareness to minimize exposure to potentially harmful substances in food.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{181247,
        author = {Indranil Chatterjee and Sanjukta Das and Snehansu Biswas and Mallika Rooj and Suchetan Sarkar and Sourav Das},
        title = {Determination of Formaldehyde Levels in Fish Samples Collected from Different Wet Markets of Birbhum, West Bengal, India},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2025},
        volume = {12},
        number = {1},
        pages = {4775-4786},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=181247},
        abstract = {The increasing use of chemical preservatives in food products, particularly in perishable items like fish, has raised significant concerns regarding public health and safety. The presence of formaldehyde in food, particularly in fish, is a growing public health concern due to its toxic, irritant, and carcinogenic properties. The present study was conducted to assess the level of formaldehyde in various fish species collected from multiple wet markets across four different markets in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, namely Dubrajpur, Chinpai, Kachujore, and Suri. Three fish species Labeo rohita, Labeo catla, and Dendrobranchiates were analyzed using UV-Vis spectrophotometry at 415 nm after extraction and derivatization with Nash reagent. The results revealed that the formaldehyde content ranged from 0.052 µg/g to 0.437 µg/g. The highest concentration was found in prawn from Kachujore bazar, while the lowest was observed in rohu from Chinpai bazar. This study serves as a small yet meaningful step toward highlighting the risks associated with unsafe food handling and the need for stricter monitoring and regulation. The study emphasizes the need for routine monitoring, better preservation practices, and consumer awareness to minimize exposure to potentially harmful substances in food.},
        keywords = {Formaldehyde, preservation, Labeo rohita, Labeo catla, Dendrobranchiates.},
        month = {June},
        }

Cite This Article

Chatterjee, I., & Das, S., & Biswas, S., & Rooj, M., & Sarkar, S., & Das, S. (2025). Determination of Formaldehyde Levels in Fish Samples Collected from Different Wet Markets of Birbhum, West Bengal, India. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology (IJIRT), 12(1), 4775–4786.

Related Articles