Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in meat smoked with different types of wood

The influence of the wood used for the smoking of meat on the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) has been studied. Ten types of wood and charcoal were used for preparation of smoked meat samples. The analytical sample preparation method implied extraction of PAH with cyclohexane, liquid–liquid extraction with N,N-dimethylformamide/water, back extraction with cyclohexane, followed by clean-up on silica solid phase extraction (SPE) column and quantification by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. It was found that the type of wood has a significant influence on the amount of PAH in smoked meat. The samples smoked with apple-tree and alder contained the smallest PAH concentrations. The samples smoked with spruce had the highest concentrations of PAH. The difference in content of benzo[a]pyrene (from 6.04 till 35.07 μg/kg) and total PAH (from 47.94 till 470.91 μg/kg) indicates that choice of wood for smoking is one of the critical parameter to be controlled in order to diminish the contamination of food products.