The concentration of malachite green in fish: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and probabilistic risk assessment

Malachite Green (MG) is an antibiotic with antifungal activity, which is illegal to use in agriculture due to its mutagenic and teratogenic properties. Several scientific papers have been published on MG in fish. Therefore, an attempt was made to determine the meta-analysis concentration of MG in fish based on countries and types of fish subgroups, as well as the health risks of consumers, using the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) model. The three countries with the highest concentration of MG were Iran (14.697 µg/kg), Brazil (2.840 µg/kg), and China (2.277 µg/kg). The overall pooled concentration of MG in fish was 3.036 µg/kg, 95%CI (2.860–3.212 µg/kg), and the highest concentration of MG was observed in Pacu fish (6.603 µg/kg). The health risk assessment shows adults in Malaysia, China, and Iran and children in Italy, Spain, Brazil, Malaysia, China, and Iran are at considerable risk (MOE <10,000); hence, carrying out control plans in these countries is recommended.