Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in smoked pork tissue of different characteristic

This study investigates the distribution of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in traditionally and industrially smoked pork (loin, neck, bacon), focusing on differences between tissue types. The samples were analyzed using GC-FID after solid-liquid and solid-phase extraction.

In traditionally smoked loin (median 9.73 μg/kg), the highest PAH concentration was in the skin (14.95 μg/kg), followed by exterior (6.46 μg/kg), interior (1.72 μg/kg) and center (0.10 μg/kg). In industrially smoked lion, median concentration was 0.61 μg/kg in the skin, no PAH were detected in the interior. For traditionally smoked neck (median 28.38 μg/kg) adipose tissue contained about 20 % less PAH than skin, but about 30 % more than marble and 60 % more than lean tissue. In traditionally smoked bacon (median 52.71 μg/kg), fat tissue contained 10 % less than skin and 20 % more than lean layer. Industrially smoked bacon had PAH levels below 1 μg/kg; light hydrocarbons prevailed.

Post-smoking stages (drying, aging, vacuum wrapping) reduced PAH levels by 11–32 % (up to 24 % in exterior and 10 % in interior).

Risk assessment indicated that weekly consumption of 50 g of smoked pork posed negligible cancer risk for all meat species, though daily bacon intake may pose a slight risk.

The study highlights PAH variability across pork tissues, helping consumers make health-conscious dietary choices while preserving smoked pork consumption traditions.