Concentrations of the 16 US EPA PAHs in 86 Vegetable Oil Samples

Abstract

A wide survey of the distributions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in vegetable oils (n = 86) for human consumption from manufacturers and retail shops in China were conducted by GC-MS following extraction with acetonitrile and purification using silica gel solid phase. Levels of BaP and PAH4 in 37 and 34 samples, respectively, were not in line with maximum permitted limit set by EU regulations. The three-ring and four-ring PAH compounds were predominant in vegetable oils, followed by 2 rings, which may be attribute to the truth that low molecular weight PAHs are prone assimilated by plant roots than high-ring PAHs, and are mainly produced under low temperature (<200 °C) processing conditions. The level of PAHs contamination found in this study in oil products should prompt a suitable intervention strategy to meet the health needs of consumers. Considering the vegetable oil categories, the levels of 16 PAHs in peanut and sesame oil were higher than other oils. This may be related to the two oils mostly extracted from roasted seeds for the development of flavor or aromatic in China. To hold the flavor of the crude oils, they were not refined. The health risk assessment of PAHs showed that there was a potential carcinogenic risk for the vegetable oil intake in China, but it has not yet reached the priority risk level.