More persons are paying shut consideration to what they eat, usually monitoring energy, exercising day by day, and filling their plates with foods that appear naturally wholesome, together with fruit and veggies. Yet even nutritious foods can carry hidden chemical issues. Some contaminants can enter meals from the surroundings, whereas others can type throughout excessive warmth cooking strategies comparable to heating, smoking, grilling, roasting, and frying.
Among the compounds of concern are polycyclic fragrant hydrocarbons, or PAHs (hydrophobic natural compounds comprising a number of fused fragrant rings). Some PAHs are identified for his or her most cancers inflicting potential, which makes dependable meals testing an vital a part of defending public well being.
A Hidden Food Safety Challenge
Detecting PAHs in meals will not be easy. Conventional extraction strategies, comparable to strong section extraction, liquid liquid extraction, and accelerated solvent extraction, will be reasonably priced, however they usually require prolonged preparation, heavy fingers on labor, and chemical intensive procedures that aren’t best for staff or the surroundings.
To remedy these issues, scientists have been turning to a streamlined technique often called QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe). The strategy is designed to hurry up pattern preparation, scale back chemical use, enhance restoration charges, and make meals contaminant testing extra sensible for routine security checks.
In a 2025 research, researchers from the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, led by Professor Joon-Goo Lee, used QuEChERS to measure eight PAHs (Benzo[a]anthracene, Chrysene, Benzo[b]fluoranthene, Benzo[k]fluoranthene, Benzo[a]pyrene, Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, Dibenz[a,h]anthracene, and Benzo[g,h,i]perylene in meals. The findings have been printed in the journal Food Science and Biotechnology.
Faster Testing With Strong Accuracy
The group used acetonitrile to extract PAHs from meals samples, then examined a number of purification methods involving totally different mixtures of sorbents. The technique was validated throughout a number of meals matrices, displaying robust efficiency. Calibration curves for all eight PAHs had R2 values above 0.99, indicating a extremely linear and dependable measurement system.
Further evaluation utilizing fuel chromatography and mass spectrometry confirmed that the bounds of detection ranged from 0.006 to 0.035 µg/kg, whereas the bounds of quantification ranged from 0.019 to 0.133 µg/kg. Recovery charges have been additionally robust, starting from 86.3 to 109.6% at 5 µg/kg, 87.7 to 100.1% at 10 µg/kg, and 89.6 to 102.9% at 20 µg/kg. Precision values stayed between 0.4 and 6.9% throughout all examined meals matrices.
The research additionally reported that, among the many foods examined, the very best PAH ranges have been discovered in soybean oil, adopted by duck meat and canola oil.
Prof. Lee explains, “This method not only simplifies the analytical process but also demonstrates high efficiency in detection compared to conventional methods. It can be applied to a wide range of food matrices.”
Why PAHs Matter
PAHs can type when meals is uncovered to excessive temperatures or smoke. According to the National Cancer Institute, PAHs can develop when fats and juices from meat drip onto a scorching floor or open flame, creating smoke that deposits these compounds onto the meals. PAHs may also type throughout smoking and could also be discovered in sources comparable to cigarette smoke and automotive exhaust fumes.
The NCI notes that PAHs and associated excessive temperature cooking compounds have precipitated most cancers in animal research, though human inhabitants research haven’t established a definitive hyperlink between publicity from cooked meats and most cancers. This uncertainty is one purpose extra correct measurement instruments are invaluable. Better testing might help regulators, researchers, and meals corporations perceive the place contamination is happening and the way it may be decreased.
Newer Research Points to Broader Use
Since the SeoulTech research, different researchers have continued refining QuEChERS primarily based strategies for PAH detection. A 2025 study in Foods developed a modified QuEChERS technique with a freeze out step and utilized it to 302 retail meals samples. That work discovered the very best focus of 4 precedence PAHs in Kezuribushi, a smoked and dried fish product, and recognized grilled hen toes as a attainable well being concern primarily based on the European Food Safety Authority margin of publicity strategy.
Another 2025 study centered on cereals and cereal primarily based merchandise. Researchers developed a modified QuEChERS technique utilizing Z Sep⁺ clear up and fuel chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. In 96 cereal samples and 18 cereal primarily based merchandise from the Romanian market, solely chrysene was quantified in 17% of cereal samples, whereas no PAHs have been quantified in the derived merchandise.
Together, these newer findings counsel that QuEChERS primarily based approaches have gotten more and more helpful for various meals classes, from oils and meats to smoked merchandise and cereals. They additionally present why meals particular testing issues, since PAH ranges can range extensively relying on elements, processing, cooking strategies, and environmental publicity.
Safer Food Testing and Cleaner Labs
For the meals business, a sooner and extra environment friendly PAH testing technique may enhance security administration by making it simpler to examine merchandise earlier than they attain customers. The strategy may additionally scale back prices and enhance working circumstances by slicing down on time consuming procedures and limiting using hazardous chemicals.
“Our research can improve public health by providing safe food. It also reduces the use and emission of hazardous chemicals in laboratory testing,” concludes Prof. Lee.
The broader takeaway is obvious: meals security testing is changing into sooner, cleaner, and extra exact. By bettering how scientists detect PAHs, strategies like QuEChERS may assist determine hidden contaminants, assist safer meals manufacturing, and scale back chemical waste in the lab.
About Professor Joon Goo Lee
Joon Goo Lee is a Professor on the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Seoul National University of Science and Technology. He is an knowledgeable in meals regulation and security evaluation. He served as a scientific officer at Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and as a visiting researcher at FSANZ. He is a member of the National Food Sanitation Committee and an knowledgeable for the FAO/WHO JECFA. He additionally serves as the chief director of the Korean meals security societies. His analysis focuses on threat evaluation and the discount of contaminants in meals, contributing to science primarily based insurance policies and improved public well being.