CONTENT OF POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHs) IN GRILLED MEAT PRODUCTS DEPENDING ON FAT CONTENT IN RAW MATERIAL

In the paper, the results were presented of the research study focused on the determination of the content of some selected compounds from the group of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in grilled meat products. The research material constituted: turkey fillet, pork neck and bacon; the fat content therein was, respectively: 2.5 %, 20.5 %, and 45 %. The raw material was grilled on a charcoal grill at 250 degrees C. The content of PAHs in the grilled products was determined by a HPLC/FLD method. The highest content of PAHs analyzed was found in the grilled bacon: 85.9 mu g kg(-1). In other products, the level of the same compounds was about 40 % lower and it amounted in the pork neck and turkey fillet to 49.8 mu g kg(-1) and 48.0 pg kg(-1), respectively. It was found that the bacon, a raw material with a very high fat content, when undergoing a process of grilling, could be a dangerous source of PAHs. According to the guidelines of the new Commission Regulation (EC) No. 835/2011, such a product should not be consumed by people owing to the content of benzo[a]pyrene therein that amounts to 5.34 mu g kg(-1). Despite the large difference in the fat content in the turkey fillet and the pork neck, the levels of the compounds from the PAHs group in the grilled products did not significantly differ (p <= 0.05).