Charcoal-barbecued Coalho cheese: An investigation on the formation and ingestion of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

The objective of this study was to determine polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in Coalho cheese samples (CC, n = 30) barbecued in charcoal at different distances (5, 15, or 20 cm). PAH were determined using liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The CC samples presented all the 16 PAH monitored by the health agencies, including 8PAH considered as the most toxic. The benzo [a]anthracene (BaA) and dibenz [a,h]anthracene (DBA) levels were determined, which ranged from 140.7 to 149.4 μg kg−1 to 135.0–139.5 μg kg−1, respectively. The toxicity values showed that the human exposure to PAH in the preparation and consumption of CC is classified as a serious risk or potential risk to cause cancer in humans, with levels higher than 83% and 69% for BaA and DBA, respectively, which are the compounds with the highest carcinogenicity index. The distance to the heat source had no effect on the parameters evaluated. Thus, CC presented high concentrations of PAH and potential risk for the health of Brazilian consumers. Therefore, consumers should be aware of the type of preparation and consider the condition of lightly toasted CC as a food-safe and appropriate consumption profile.