Is turbot really toxic? Can it be eaten safely?
Turbot, also known as turbot, Atlantic turbot, European flounder, and so on, is delicious and nutritious, with effects of nourishing the skin and beautifying the complexion, tonifying the kidney and strengthening the brain, and supporting yang and refreshing the spirit. Regular consumption can nourish and strengthen the body and improve human immunity. It is commonly eaten steamed or stewed, and is also a good material for making sashimi. Now let us take a look at whether turbot is really toxic!
Is turbot really toxic?
Turbot itself is not toxic, but farmers, in order to prevent disease, blindly use large amounts of disinfectant drugs, causing drug residues in the turbot's body to exceed standards and making it toxic. Usually nitrofuran metabolites, malachite green, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, and the like are the preferred drugs for farmers, because these drugs are cheap, can reduce costs, and are also relatively easy to buy. However, malachite green and its metabolites have side effects such as high toxicity, high residue, high carcinogenicity, high teratogenicity, and mutagenicity, while among nitrofuran drugs, "nitrofurazone, furazolidone" and their metabolite AOZ, etc., have mutagenic and carcinogenic effects.
Is turbot a sea fish?
Turbot is a sea fish. The flat body of the turbot is especially suitable for benthic life on the seabed. It belongs to cold-water fish species of Northern Europe and has strict requirements for temperature and other seawater indicators. Its maximum lethal temperature is 28-30°C, minimum lethal temperature is 1-2°C, maximum growth temperature is 21-27°C, minimum growth temperature is 7-8°C, and optimum growth temperature is 14-17°C. Its tolerance to salinity is at most 40‰ and at least 12‰.
Where is turbot distributed?
Turbot is naturally distributed along the eastern Atlantic coast of Europe, commonly in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, from the waters far from the coast of Iceland starting at 68°N, southward along the Scandinavian Peninsula coast, all the way to the waters far from the coast of Morocco at 30°N. It is also distributed along the Black Sea and the Mediterranean coast, with the main distribution area in the North Sea, inhabiting sea areas with sandy, gravelly, or mixed bottom sediments at depths of 20-70 m.
Identification of toxic turbot
1. Look at the fish scales. After being soaked in a highly concentrated malachite green solution, the surface of injured fish will turn green, and in severe cases will even grow grass-green.
2. Look at the fish fins. Under normal circumstances, the fins should be white, while fins soaked in malachite green solution are also easily colored.
3. If you find fish with a shiny color all over the body, you should also be vigilant. After buying live fish and taking it home, you can keep it in clean water for one or two days.
4. If the fish has already been killed, it should also be soaked in clean water for about 1 hour as much as possible, and washing liquid can also be used to remove toxins.