The occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Peking duck: Relevance to food safety assessment

► Peking duck is one of the most well-known Chinese dishes. ► The concentration of benzo(a)pyrene in Peking duck samples was detected at the level of 8.7 μg/kg. ► Total amount of PAHs with human carcinogenic potentials in the samples was detected as 54.7 μg/kg. ► The level highly exceeded that found in the grilled poultry in European countries. ► The intake of PAHs from Peking duck should be reduced to as low as reasonably achievable.