The presence of toxic metals in the environment could constitute a hazard to food safety and public health. These can be accumulated in aquatic animals such as fish. Samples of four brands of canned fish in the Iranian market (yellowfin tuna, common Kilka, Kawakawa and longtail tuna) were analyzed for levels of Ni after wet digestion with acids using GFAAS. The mean concentrations of Ni in the different brands were 0.37, 0.19, 0.14 and 0.18 μg g-1 for brands A, B, C and D respectively; Significant differences were observed in the Ni levels between all of the different brands of canned fish evaluated in this study. The mean concentration of Ni for the varieties of canned fishes was generally within the FAO/WHO, U.S. FDA and U.S. EPA recommended limits for fish.
