Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2012, 9(11), 4159-4169; doi:10.3390/ijerph9114159
Article

Evaluation of Benzo[a]pyrene in Food from China by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Fluorescence Detection

Yong-Hong Chen 1,† email, En-Qin Xia 2,† email, Xiang-Rong Xu 3,* email, Sha Li 4 email, Wen-Hua Ling 4 email, Shan Wu 4 email, Gui-Fang Deng 4 email, Zhi-Fei Zou 1 email, Jing Zhou 4 email and Hua-Bin Li 4,* email
1 Guangdong Inspection and Quarantine Technology Center, Guangzhou 510623, China 2 School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical College, Dongguan 510234, China 3 Key Laboratory of Marine Bio-resources Sustainable Utilization, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China 4 Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Food, Nutrition and Health, Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China † These authors contributed equally to this work.
* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 21 September 2012; in revised form: 22 October 2012 / Accepted: 31 October 2012 / Published: 14 November 2012
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Abstract: The occurrence and levels of benzo[a]pyrene in various heat-treated foods from China were evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection. In a total of 119 samples, 105 were found to contain benzo[a]pyrene at levels of 0.03 to 19.75 µg/kg. The benzo[a]pyrene contents in 12 animal source foods were higher than the Chinese maximum permissible level in food (5 µg/kg) and the highest level was 19.75 µg/kg, nearly four times the maximum permissible level. The results revealed a widespread carinogenic public health risk from benzo[a]pyrene in heat-treated foods. The highest benzo[a]pyrene levels were found in animal source samples such as charcoal-grilled and smoked meats, especially pork, beef and sausage, while trace levels of benzo[a]pyrene were present in grain food. Charcoal-grilled vegetables were found to also contain certain levels of benzo[a]pyrene. This study provided new information on benzo[a]pyrene content of a variety of heat-treated foods from China.
Keywords: benzo[a]pyrene; pollutant; food analysis; food safety; public health

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Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Chen, Y.-H.; Xia, E.-Q.; Xu, X.-R.; Li, S.; Ling, W.-H.; Wu, S.; Deng, G.-F.; Zou, Z.-F.; Zhou, J.; Li, H.-B. Evaluation of Benzo[a]pyrene in Food from China by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Fluorescence Detection. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2012, 9, 4159-4169.

AMA Style

Chen Y-H, Xia E-Q, Xu X-R, Li S, Ling W-H, Wu S, Deng G-F, Zou Z-F, Zhou J, Li H-B. Evaluation of Benzo[a]pyrene in Food from China by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Fluorescence Detection. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2012; 9(11):4159-4169.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chen, Yong-Hong; Xia, En-Qin; Xu, Xiang-Rong; Li, Sha; Ling, Wen-Hua; Wu, Shan; Deng, Gui-Fang; Zou, Zhi-Fei; Zhou, Jing; Li, Hua-Bin. 2012. "Evaluation of Benzo[a]pyrene in Food from China by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Fluorescence Detection." Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 9, no. 11: 4159-4169.

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