Contamination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in foods and the food chain

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent organic pollutants predominantly generated by the incomplete combustion of organic materials. Their presence in food and the food chain raises substantial public health concerns due to their carcinogenic, mutagenic, and endocrine-disrupting characteristics. This chapter examines PAH contamination, focussing on its occurrence and transit throughout food systems, and incorporates surveillance data, regulatory restrictions, and risk evaluations. Environmental deposition, absorption from polluted soil and water, bioaccumulation in aquatic and terrestrial species, and high-temperature cooking methods including smoking, grilling, and frying are all ways that PAHs get into food. The levels of benzo[a]pyrene (2 μg/kg) and PAH4 (30 μg/kg) in cereals, smoked fish, and grilled meats are often higher than the EU’s standards. For example, in cereals, the levels vary from 2.5 to 276.7 μg/kg, in smoked fish, they may be as high as 222.7 μg/kg, and in grilled meats, they can be above 200 μg/kg. These pollutants go down the food chain, from soil and crops to cattle and fish, and then to people. This means that people are constantly exposed to them through their diets, which can cause malignancies, reproductive and developmental problems, immune system problems, and neurotoxicity. Even as better methods for identifying problems and rules have improved monitoring, there are still issues with enforcement, maintaining uniform standards, and increasing consumer awareness. To protect food safety and human health worldwide, we need to employ a range of measures, including advanced food processing technology, microbial bioremediation, and innovative methods for detecting PAHs.