Spanish smoked meat products: Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) contamination and moisture

Traditional direct smoking is used for drying and flavouring foodstuffs, although carcinogenic compounds are added during this process, namely polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). The maximum permissible content of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) (a current marker for the occurrence and effect of PAH in foods) in smoked meat products was reduced from 5 to 2 μg/kg on 1/09/2014, in compliance with European Regulation No. 835/2011. In this study, an analytical method has been developed to determine BaP content consisting of PAH extraction assisted by sonication followed by solid-phase extraction sample clean-up and analytical determination using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Sixteen commercial chorizo samples from 16 different Spanish producers from the Principality of Asturias were studied. Five of the samples exceeded the 2 ppb BaP limit. The relationship between moisture and BaP content in chorizo was examined, in order to verify the quality of the manufacturing process. Moisture content did not correlate with BaP content in chorizo.