Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Their Halogenated Derivatives in a Traditional Smoke-Dried Fish Product in Japan: Occurrence and Countermeasures
Kento Sei, Qi Wang, Masahiro Tokumura, Shinji Suzuki, Yuichi Miyake, Takashi Amagai
Abstract
Smoke-dried bonito is a traditional Japanese processed fish product containing considerable amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Their concentrations generally exceed the maximum levels under EU regulations. Although halogenated PAHs (XPAHs) have attracted attention owing to their high toxicities, no information on the occurrence of XPAHs in smoke-dried bonito is available. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of PAHs and XPAHs in smoke-dried bonito purchased in the Japanese market in 2020 and evaluated the contamination levels in terms of concentrations and incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCRs). The total concentrations of PAHs were 419–1070 μg kg–1 and those of XPAHs were 0.306–1.01 μg kg–1. Because smoke-dried bonito is consumed in low amounts, the ILCR of PAH4 via dietary consumption of smoke-dried bonito was the lowest among those of other smoked foods. Smoking by hot-plate heating of wood chips should be one of the effective countermeasures to reduce PAH contamination.