PAH contents in smoked meat products - Influence of different types of wood and smoking spices on the contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and phenolic substances

Within this research project the contents of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [15+1 EU PAH) and phenolic substances (guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol, syringol, eugenol, and trans-isoeugenol) were investigated in Frankfurter-type sausages and mini-salamis smoked with different types of wood. For the smoking experiments wood chips of oak, poplar, hickory, spruce, fir, alder, beech and beech with apple smoking spice mix, cherry smoking spice mix, and a mix of juniper berries and bay leaves were tested in a total of 51 smoking experiments. The use of poplar and hickory wood chips led to a decrease of the PAH contents in the range of 35 to 40% for Frankfurter-type sausages and in the range of 36 to 55% for mini-salamis compared to the use of beech wood chips. The patterns of phenolic substances were not only different for hardwood (syringol: 29%) and softwood (syringol: 2%), but also for Frankfurter-type sausages (guaiacol: 8%, trans-isoeugenol: 46%) and mini-salamis (guaiacol: 35%, trans-isoeugenol: 15%).