Levels of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Some Roasted Plant Foods in Southwestern Nigeria

Thirteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were identified and quantified in three different roasted plant foods (Zea mays, Dioscorea rolundata and Musa paradisiaca) using a rapid method involving microwave assisted saponification and simultaneous extraction followed by solid-phase extraction (SPE), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation and spectrofluorometric detection. The method applied had good recovery and repeatability characteristcs. With respect to raw samples, roasted samples had higher contamination levels with a maximum benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) content of 0.6 mu g kg(-1) dry weight. Roaited Zea mays had the highest low molecular weight-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (LMW-PAH) load of 31.2 mu g kg(-1) dry weight, which may be due to the fact that the charred portions after roasting are not usually subjected to scrapping, an exercise which is usually carried out on other roasted plant foods. Anyways, PAHs exposure due to the consumption of roasted plant foods may not pose serious concerns for human health, especially as they are low in heavy molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HMW-PAHs).