Abstract:
Concentrations of Mn, Cu, and Na trace elements in Sarotherodon melanotheron (Blackchin tilapia) from the Fosu
Lagoon in Cape Coast, Ghana have been determined by employing the technique of Instrumental Neutron Activation
Analysis (INAA) at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission using the Ghana Research Reactor -1, (GHARR-1) operating at
15 KW at a thermal flux of 5×1011 n.cm-2.s-1.
Standard reference materials used were International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) -350; Trace Elements in Tuna Fish
Homogenate and National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST), USA SRM-1566b; Trace Elements in Oyster
Tissues. The Relative standardization method was used in the quantification of all the elements. The mean daily intake of the
elements determined in the fish were 56Mn (22.54 mg/d), 66Cu (59.22 mg/d), and 24Na (2.24 mg/d). The determined mean
daily intake of Cu and Mn exceeded their Maximum Upper Limit (UL) of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for
all life stage groups, while that of Na was far below the RDA. The mean daily intake of Na with absolute error margin of
±0.0245 was adequate for consumption. However, the mean daily intake of Cu and Mn far exceeded their RDAs and
Maximum Upper Limit, (UL), making Sarotherodon melanotheron from the Fosu Lagoon unsafe to eat
