Incidences of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Roasted Plantains Obtained Within Osogbo Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

The present study was conducted to assess the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks of PAHs contamination in roasted plantain collected from three different locations within Osogbo metropolis, Nigeria. The PAHs were extracted using Soxhlet extraction technique with n-hexane and dichloromethane (3:1) as the extracting solvent. A column, packed with silica gel, was used for clean-up process and the levels of the targeted PAHs were determined by a gas chromatograph–flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The result revealed that the concentrations of total PAHs detected in the roasted samples at location A, B, C were 3.958 μg/kg, 3.654 μg/kg and 3.217 μg/kg. The HMW carcinogenic PAHs constitute about 32% of the total PAHs in the roasted plantain samples where benzo(a)pyrene, which is a marker for carcinogenicity, was found to be 9%. Comparing these results with the regulatory limits, all the analyzed roasted plantain samples were found below the maximum residual limit (MRL) of 5 μg/kg, but the calculated carcinogenic risk (CR) presented value greater than 1×10-4, signifying health risk associated with the consumption of the roasted plantain. The major source of the PAHs using diagnostic ratios (Fla/Pyr and Ph/Ant) showed that the charcoal used in roasting is a major contributing factor to the high levels of PAHs detected in the roasted plantain samples.