Bioaccessibility of 12 trace elements in marine molluscs

► A large scale investigation of the bioaccessibility of metals from shellfish in China. ► Bioaccessibility of all the 12 trace elements was generally high. ► Steaming decreased the bioaccessibility of trace elements. ► No correlation between the bioaccessibility and the total concentration of metals. ► Trophically available fraction was a good predictor of the bioaccessibility of metals.