Selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in smoked tuna, swordfish and Atlantic salmon fillets

The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in commercial smoked fillets of tuna, swordfish and Atlantic salmon was studied. In Europe, the smoking technique is widely used in fish processing and these species are the most representative of the taste of consumers for smoked products. Samples were purchased on the Italian market and analysed by HPLC. Mean concentrations (ng g⁻¹) of acenaphthene (4.4, 6.2, 11.2), phenanthrene (11.5, 18.5, 8.9), anthracene (2.4, 5.2, 1.8), fluoranthene (17.0, 9.4, 4.7), benzo( k )fluoranthene (0.3, 0.1, 0.2) and benzo( a )pyrene (1.3, 0.1, 0.4) were found in Atlantic salmon, tuna and swordfish respectively. Benzo( b )fluoranthene (1.2 ng g⁻¹) was detected only in Atlantic salmon whereas dibenz( a,h )anthracene was never detected in this species, but only in tuna (0.5 ng g⁻¹) and swordfish (1.1 ng g⁻¹). Atlantic salmon contained the highest level of benzo( a )pyrene (2.8 ng g⁻¹) which is below the European regulatory level of 5 ng g⁻¹.