Formation of Benzo(a)pyrene in Sesame Seeds During the Roasting Process for Production of Sesame Seed Oil

The main aim of this research was to enhance the understanding of the formation mechanisms of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) during roasting of sesame seeds (SS). BaP levels in hot‐ and cold‐pressed sesame seed oil (SSO) were evaluated to correlate oil technology and BaP formation. Extracted principal components from SS were roasted either singly or in mixtures at 230 °C for 30 min. BaP was measured by HPLC with fluorescence detection. The results showed that BaP levels in hot‐pressed SSO were significantly higher than those in cold‐pressed SSO (p < 0.05), BaP formation mostly occurred during SS roasting and increased with roasting temperature (between 80 and 280 °C) and time (from 10 to 50 min). Furthermore, the BaP level in the roasted hulled SS (3.64 μg/kg) was higher than it was in roasted whole SS (1.63 μg/kg). The maximum BaP level observed (5.03 μg/kg) was detected in a roasted mixture of SS protein and SSO. The addition of sesame protein to protein‐free SSO promoted the formation of BaP, which suggests that the pyrolysis products of protein and triacylglycerols are probably important precursors in BaP formation.