Incidence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in vegetable oil blends

The consumption of extra virgin olive oil has been growing in Brazil over the years. However, as it is an expensive product, many consumers tend to substitute extra virgin olive oil with a cheaper alternative, such as vegetable oil blends (mainly a mixture of olive and soybean oils). In the preset study, different brands of oil blends were evaluated for the occurrence of 13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The method involved liquid-liquid extraction with hexane and N,N-dimethylformamide, followed by clean-up by SPE with C18 cartridges. Analyses were carried out by HPLC with fluorescence detection. PAHs were detected in all samples analyzed and the mean sum ranged from 2.59 μg/kg to 85.30 μg/kg. A high variability in PAHs levels between brands and between different batches of the same brand was observed. Approximately 50% of the samples were in disaccording with the maximum permitted levels for BaP and PAH4 established in the Brazilian and/or European regulations.