Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) processed by traditional flue gas smoking and by liquid smoke flavourings

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with fluorescence detection in rainbow trout fillets processed by traditional flue gas smoking and by liquid smoke flavourings, at low temperature (25 °C for 3 h). Raw fillets were also investigated as control group. The following compounds, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benz(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene and benzo(ghi)perylene were detected in all samples and no significant difference (p > 0.05) was found neither between fresh and processed samples nor between the two different smoking techniques, except for chrysene and benzo(b)fluoranthene. The results show that PAHs found in rainbow trout fillets could be considered as a consequence of environmental pollution and the mild smoking process described in the present study did not affect their concentrations.