Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in smoked dry fermented sausages with protected designation of origin Petrovská klobása from Serbia

Abstract

The occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in smoked dry fermented sausage with protected designation of origin Petrovská klobása from Serbia was determined by analyzing PAHs from the US EPA and EU priority lists. Peeled natural cased sausages smoked in industrial and traditional smokehouses were studied in order to assess the influence of smoking conditions on the PAH contents. The highest total concentration of EPA PAHs was found in the samples smoked in traditional smoke-house, being almost 15 times higher than the total EPA PAH content in sausages smoked in an industrial smokehouse; the content of EU PAHs in both types of smoked products were similar, being close to 1.5 μg/kg. The most abundant compound was phenanthrene, with an average content of about 31 μg/kg in traditionally smoked samples and about 3 μg/kg in industrially smoked samples. The concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene as well as the total concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluranthene and chrysene (comprising the so-called "PAH4" group) were rather low in both types of smoked sausages, being well below the corresponding maximum allowed levels set by the latest European Regulation 835/2011 and not representing any risk to consumers' health.