An Approach to the Consumption of Smoked Paprika in Spain and Its Impact on the Intake of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Abstract

“Pimentón de La Vera” smoked paprika is a traditional kind of smoked paprika, the production of which is regulated by a protected designation of origin. The traditional drying/smoking process provides the “Pimentón de La Vera” smoked paprika with a peculiar flavour which has gained acceptance in multiple markets. However, this process also gives rise to non-desirable substances, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This paper attempts to ascertain the consumption levels of smoked paprika per person in Spain in order to establish the intake of PAHs derived from this food spice. With this purpose in mind, a research study was carried out using questionnaires in three different smoked paprika consumption scenarios: food companies, households and restaurants. The results from this research proved that the average consumption of smoked paprika per person per year in Spain is 139 g. Overall, the intake of PAHs derived from smoked paprika was proven to represent a negligible fraction of the total intake, with this ingredient being far behind the PAH contribution represented by other food products. These results could help consolidate the smoked paprika production sector by providing evidence of the scarce contribution of smoked paprika to PAH intake and justifying the traditional production with smoke drying, which is the differentiating quality trait of this spice.

Exploring Consumer Perceptions and Changing Consumption Patterns for Smoked Paprika: Implications for Traditional Food Products in Spain

“…The magnitude of the figures obtained gives an idea of the complexity of this type of study, where the amounts consumed per person are comparatively much smaller than those of other commonly consumed foods. The figures obtained here are lower in comparison to previous studies [9], which was to be expected, since the study carried out by [9] was conducted at a regional level and in the main paprika-producing area of Spain, with consumption expected to be higher there than in other regions of the country.…”

“…This resulted in a list of dishes being cooked with paprika for which it was possible to determine the average quantity of the spice used in their preparation. With regard to sausages, data from a previous research were used [9]. In that paper, the formulation of different types of traditional dry-cured pork sausages containing paprika (vari-many people, and how much paprika they used (it was considered that it would be easier for them to indicate the quantities of paprika used in the preparation of each meal rather than per portion).…”

“…Among the most habitual elements of traditional cuisine are spices, which are widely used to add flavour and colour to dishes. However, prior studies analysing whether new consumer trends have affected their use are scarce [9]. The use of spices varies notably from country to country and from region to region, with the most commonly used in Spain being paprika, oregano, cumin, pepper, thyme, rosemary and basil.…”

Investigations of the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon and Elemental Profile of Smoked Fish

“…With the aim to determine the smoking processes impact on the PAHs formation in the fish muscle, PAHs were analyzed from both unsmoked and smoked samples from each species according to the method described by Pule et al [ 27 ]. PAHs compounds were extracted using the QuEChERS methods; 5 g of fish samples and 10 mL of HPLC grade acetonitrile were vortexed for 1 min.…”

Biomonitoring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon levels in domestic kitchens using commonly grown culinary herbs

“…Considering culinary herbs, most studies report PAH contamination during processing (e.g. Coleto et al [ 12 ]. However, field studies also support that several herb species can contain significant amount of PAHs [ 57 ], depending on the site of cultivation and the species.…”