Characterization of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Present in Smoked Fish from Ghana

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The study was conducted to determine the levels of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) in smoked Scomba japonicus sampled from some Ghanaian markets. By way of preparation, smoked fish comes into contact with smoke or extremely high temperature which are potential sources of PAH generation. Levels of 20 individual PAHs including acenaphthene, acenaphtyelene, anthanthrene, anthracene, benz(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(e)pyrene, benzo(ghi)perylene, benzo(j)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, chrysene, cyclopenta(cd)pyrene, dibenzo(ah)anthracene, fluoranthene, fluorene, indeno(1, 2, 3-cd)pyrene, naphthalene, phenanthrene and pyrene were determined in 34 smoked fish samples using gas chromatographic techniques with flame ionization detector. Benzo(a)pyrene, which is one of the very few PAHs for which a legal limit exists in different types of food matrices inaddition to other high molecular weight PAHs suspected to be carcinogens, were detected in most samples.