Comparative effects of cooking methods on arsenic speciation and risk assessment in Eriocheir sinensis

This study investigated the effects of six cooking methods (steaming, bag-steaming, microwaving, bag-microwaving, boiling, and frying) on arsenic species in Eriocheir sinensis , and assessed bioaccessibility and health risk for raw, microwaved, and steamed samples. Bag-steaming increased pentavalent inorganic arsenic (iAs 5 ⁺) in female breast meat by 283.13%. Boiling elevated iAs 5 ⁺ in male hepatopancreas by 431.06%. Steaming decreased trivalent inorganic arsenic (iAs 3 ⁺) in male hepatopancreas by 90.39%, whereas microwaving reduced it in female hepatopancreas by 91.04%. Gastrointestinal bioaccessibility of iAs 5+ was enhanced under microwaving (202.90% in males and 173.91% in females), indicating matrix-dependent release. Target cancer risk varied among cooking methods, with microwaving exceeding 10 –6 in some cases. Cooking induced pronounced arsenic heterogeneity, as divergent responses across tissues and sexes suggested species retention in edible tissues or release into exudates. These findings indicate that cooking-induced speciation changes and bioaccessibility may influence dietary exposure, providing a scientific basis for dietary safety recommendations.