Degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in smoked sausages by ultraviolet irradiation

Abstract Background Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation has been widely employed to disinfect food, however, the efficacy of UV irradiation in degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in smoked sausages has not been explored. In this article, the UV degradation ability of PAHs in smoked sausages was investigated with different UV irradiation conditions, including different irradiation powers, durations and wavelengths. The effects of UV radiation on the quality of sausages were also evaluated, and potential degradation mechanisms were elucidated. Results The results showed that the irradiation duration was the primary determinant of PAHs degradation, achieving 84.4% and 84.2% degradation rates at 16 W and 32 W power for 30 min, respectively. Among the three UV wavelengths assessed, 254 nm demonstrated a significantly higher degradation rate for benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), PAH4 and PAHs compared to 365 nm and 310 nm. To further explore the degradation mechanism, UV irradiation was combined with water, 0.1 mol/L hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and 0.1 mol/L ascorbic acid (vitamin C) coatings. The 0.1 mol/L H 2 O 2 coating exhibited the most pronounced degradation effect, suggesting that the highly reactive oxygen hydroxyl radicals ( · OH) generated by UV irradiation played a critical role in initiating redox reactions. Conclusion This systematic investigation paves the way for developing novel strategies to eliminate PAHs or other organic contaminants from smoked sausages. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.