Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Levels in Clarias gariepinus Dried with Traditional and Modern Smoking Kiln

Abstract

The study compared the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content of Clarias gariepinus dried by traditional and modern smoking methods at the teaching and research farm of the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Management, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Nigeria. The traditional method involved using firewood while the modern method involved using charcoal charged smoking kiln to dry the fish. Laboratory analysis of 16 polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons was done by gas chromatography. The traditionally smoked fish contained significantly higher (P<0.05) concentrations of fluorene (0.63µg/ kg), anthracene (9.02µ/kg), Phenanthrene (3.34 µg/kg), pyrene (55.05 µg/kg) and benzo (a) anthracene (17.55 µg/kg) than the modern smoked fish. The average PAH concentration in traditionally smoked fish (14.568 µg/kg) was significantly higher (P<0.05) than the average PAH concentration in the modern smoked fish (4.404 µg/kg). However the maximum acceptable concentration for most PAHs was not exceeded in the smoked fish samples, therefore fish studied was declared wholesome for human consumption. Recommendation of efforts geared towards processing fish with methods using charcoal smoke instead of wood smoke was upheld in order to reduce the levels of PAHs in smoke dried fish.