Levels of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in European Hake Fish (Merluccius merluccius) smoked by Mangrove Wood and Timber Wood

Abstract

Wood is a classic choice for smoking meat and fish because it has a strong, smoky flavour that can add depth and richness to the meat or fish if smoked sparingly, however, smoking fish could transfer such a strong flavour that can easily overpower the delicate taste of fish and also impact the fish with various volatile organic substances. Hence, the objective of this paper was to evaluate the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in European hake fish (Merluccius merluccius) smoked by mangrove wood and timber wood using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry. The results of our study showed that Hake fish smoked with timber wood and Mangrove wood contains naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorine, Phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(b) fluoranthene, benzo(k) fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene, dibenzo (a,h)anthracene, indeno (1,2,3-cd) pyrene and benzo(ghi)pyrene While there were variations in the levels of PAHs in hake fish smoked with different types of wood, many of these differences were not statistically significant. However, some specific PAHs showed significant variations, which could have implications for food safety and health considerations. Overall, the PAHs levels in fish smoked with timber wood (4.77±4.18) were significantly higher than those of Mangrove wood (3.515±0.64). The study shows that using both timber and mangrove wood for smoking hake fish may lead to higher levels of Carcinogenic PAHs compared to non-carcinogenic PAHs, raising concerns about the health implications for consumers. The study indicated that the levels of Carcinogenic PAHs exceeded permissible limits, emphasizing the potential health risks associated with consuming smoked hake fish. While more research is needed in this area, these findings provide a basis for making informed decisions that can reduce the health risks associated with the consumption of smoked fish products.