Assessment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon in Fish Smoked with Traditional Fuels (Firewood and Wood Charcoal) and Charcoal Briquette

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are genotoxic carcinogens that contaminate fish smoked with firewood (FW). In Nigeria, traditional smoking is the primary method for processing fish, which is the most widely consumed animal protein. In this study, the concentration of PAHs deposited on three fish species (Clarias gariepinus, Labeo senegalensis and Synodontis membranaceus) smoked with FW, Wood Charcoal (WC), and Charcoal Briquettes (CBs) were measured. The smoked fish samples were analyzed to determine the levels of 16 priority PAH pollutants. For smoked C. gariepinus, the total PAH concentration was the highest with WC (28.40±0.40 µg/kg) and the lowest with CBs (20.30±0.09 µg/kg). In L. senegalensis, PAHs were the highest with WC (19.00±0.09 µg/kg) and the lowest with FW (7.88±0.16 µg/kg). The permissible PAH concentration in fish smoked for consumption is ≤ 5 µg/kg (Benzo(a)pyrene) and ≤ 30 µg/kg for PAH4 (Benzo(a)pyrene +Chrysene +Benz(a)anthracene + Benzo(b)Fluoranthene). Hence, C. gariepinus and L. senegalensis are within the European Union’s permissible PAH limits. However, FW-smoked S. membranaceus exceeded the PAH limits for safe consumption with Benzo(a)pyrene concentrations of 7.94±0.11 µg/kg, whereas the total PAHs were 38.00±0.30 µg/kg, 17.00±0.16 µg/kg and 14.03±0.07 µg/kg for FW, WC and CB, respectively. The findings suggest that smoking fish with CB results in low PAH contamination. This study found low PAHs in fish smoked once and completed within 24 hours, indicating that intensity and rounds of smoking influence the product quality, as well as the quantity of PAHs.