Determination of bisphenol a quantity in canned meat by ELISA method

With the increasing pace of life today, there is a growing demand for practical, easily accessible canned foods. The production of canned food includes selecting the raw materials, and then carrying out processes such as washing, sorting and boiling, as well as heat treatments such as sterilisation or pasteurisation, depending on the type of raw material. Bisphenol A (BPA) is used in these processes and is an industrial chemical found in food contact materials (polycarbonate plastics), epoxy resins (used as an inner coating for canned containers) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) antioxidants. However, BPA is one of the chemical compounds used in the production of food contact packaging materials that pose a risk to public health. The migration of BPA into food can pose a significant health risk, particularly in canned foods. The aim of this thesis study was to reveal the presence of BPA in canned meats on sale in Turkey and the associated public health risk. Within the scope of the research, 42 canned food samples belonging to different companies and offered for sale in markets and online in Şanlıurfa were examined. The samples included canned tuna (Group I), other canned fish (Group II) and canned meat (chicken and turkey) (Group III). The ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) method was used to determine the BPA levels in the samples, which were collected between January and March 2025. The research findings revealed that fish-based canned foods had the highest average BPA level (0.0706 µg/kg). The lowest average BPA concentration was measured in red meat-based canned foods (0.0048 µg/kg), followed by chicken-based canned foods (0.0144 µg/kg). These results demonstrate that the presence of BPA in canned meat varies according to the product type and content, suggesting that some products may pose a risk to public health. Therefore, identifying the presence of BPA in canned meat is important.