Citation: Boškovi´ c, N.; Joksimovi´ c, D.; Bajt, O. Content of Trace Elements and Human Health Risk Assessment via Consumption of Commercially Important Fishes from Montenegrin Coast. Foods 2023, 12, 762. https:// doi.org/10.3390/foods12040762 Academic Editor: Concetta Messina Received: 9 January 2023 Revised: 29 January 2023 Accepted: 6 February 2023 Published: 9 February 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). foods Article Content of Trace Elements and Human Health Risk Assessment via Consumption of Commercially Important Fishes from Montenegrin Coast Neda Boškovi´ c 1, * , Danijela Joksimovi´ c 1 and Oliver Bajt 2,3 1 Institute of Marine Biology, University of Montenegro, Put I Bokeljške Brigade 68, 85330 Kotor, Montenegro 2 National Institute of Biology, Marine Biology Station, Fornaˇ ce 41, 6330 Piran, Slovenia 3 Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport, University of Ljubljana, Pot pomorscakov 4, 6320 Portoroz, Slovenia * Correspondence: nedaboskovic93@gmail.com; Tel.: +382-68722532 Abstract: Muscle tissues of Mullus barbatus and Merluccius merluccius were analyzed for the presence of selected trace elements (As, Hg, Cd, and Pb) to determine the value of the daily intake of trace ele- ments from fish consumption and to assess the risk to human health. The mean concentrations of As in the muscle tissue of M. barbatus and M. merluccius for the entire period were 19.689 mg/kg wet weight (ww) and 8.356 mg/kg ww, Hg 0.497 mg/kg ww and 0.153 mg/kg ww, and Pb 0.031 mg/kg ww and 0.025 mg/kg ww, respectively. The concentrations of Cd in all fish sampled were below the detection limit (<0.02 mg/kg ww). The evaluation of the potential health risk assessments based on the target hazard quotient (THQ) and estimated daily intake (EDI) indicated that the intake of As in both fish species and Hg for M. barbatus could pose an appreciable risk to human health. The calculated hazard index (HI) was higher than 1 for both fish species. The continuous monitoring of trace elements’ concentrations in fish is strongly recommended, as the results demonstrate potential health risks due to the presence of As and Hg. Keywords: trace elements; Mullus barbatus; Merluccius merluccius; human health risk assessment; Montenegro; Adriatic Sea 1. Introduction The increasing presence of various pollutants in the marine environments poses a global threat to marine organisms. Trace elements (TEs) are natural elements present in the environment or introduced by different human activities [1]. They are persistent, and their bioaccumula- tion/biomagnification in the food chain has been studied by various authors [2–5]. Some TEs are of biogenic origin, but their increased concentration in the environment is usually the result of various anthropogenic activities [1]. Fish is an important source of many essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, proteins, and unsaturated fatty acids (omega-3) [3,4]. On the other hand, humans may suffer adverse effects from consuming fish contam- inated with TEs such as arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) [4]. TEs accumulated in fish may disrupt the beneficial nutritional values of fish and reach humans through the food chain, leading to health risks [2]. Fish accumulate TEs through food, water, and sediment. The accumulation of TEs in fish tissues varies depending on the concentration of the TE in the environment, the natural habitat of fish, feeding habits, age, trophic level, duration of exposure, as well as on the individual TE and the rate of its absorption, deposition, and excretion [1,4,6,7]. The effects of toxic TEs disrupt various metabolic processes, especially in the early stages of fish development. These adverse effects can lead to developmental delays, morphological and functional deformities, or the death of the most susceptible individuals [8]. Foods 2023, 12, 762. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12040762 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/foods