ANALYSIS OF SMOKE AND SMOKED FOODS

Abstract

After a review on the chemical classes of compounds present in smoke and smoked foods and on the desirable and undesirable effects of these compounds, the influence of the smoking technology on the composition and the amount of the fractions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and phenolic compounds in smoke and smoked foods is briefly described. The importance of profound knowledge on the composition and the effect of liquid smokes (smoke condensates) and other ingredients for smoke flavouring is pointed out. The procedures for isolation and determination of PAH present in smoke and smoked foods, particularly in smoked meat products, are discussed. A new method for the clean up of the PAH fraction, developed by Potthast, reduces time and costs of the assay remarkably. Furthermore, procedures for isolation and determination of phenols are discussed. A new method for the isolation of phenols from smoked meat products was developed by Potthast; this procedure needs less time and is easier to carry out than the earlier methods. Now reliable and time-saving methods for isolation and identification of PAH and phenols are available. The exact identification of single components, however, is expensive and time-consuming. The quality control could be only simplified if further research would lead to some few “key substances” the concentration of which could give sufficient information on quality and toxicological properties of smoked products.