Incidence and survey of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in edible vegetable oils in China

- EPA 16 PAHs occurrence in 85 edible oils from China was analyzed.
- LPAHs were primary in oils, and the contribution of HPAHs was much less significant.
- A high variability of PAH levels between different oil types was observed.
- PAH4 was more suitable than BaP acted as a surrogate for PAHs in edible oils.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) occurrence in eighty-five samples of edible vegetable oils from China was described for the first time. Analytes were determined based on a simplified solvent extraction and liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure photoionization-tandem mass spectrometry method. PAHs were detected in all of the oil samples and the concentrations of BaP, PAH4 and PAH16 were 0.12-6.28, 1.48-27.84 and 9.25-154.27 μg/kg, respectively. Levels of BaP were all conformed to the upper limit 10 μg/kg set by China. However, each had 13% of oil samples (11 samples) exceeded the maximum limit 2 and 10 μg/kg set for BaP and PAH4 by EU. The light PAHs were primary in oil samples, and the contribution of the heavy PAHs was much less significant. A high variability of PAH levels between different oil types was observed, and peanut oils and sesame oils were two types of oils that were highly contaminated. The relationship between BaP and PAH4, BaP and PAH16 and PAH4 and PAH16 suggested that PAH4 was more suitable than BaP acted as a surrogate for the contamination level of PAHs in edible oils.