Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons of Smoked Cured Muscle Foods Prepared by Canadian Tl'azt'en and Llheidli T'enneh First Nation Communities

Abstract

Tl'azt'en and Lheidli T'enneh First Nation communities have traditionally used smoking, drying, and salting of fish and game as preservation methods to enhance food security. Our results showed that levels of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were significantly higher in smoked salmon samples compared to moose meats, and further, that PAH contents were also dependent on the duration of smoke processing. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) was not detected in fresh or partially smoked foods, but was present in both fully smoked moose (1.4 μg/kg) and fully smoked salmon (3.6 μg/kg) meats, respectively. The total concentrations of PAH present in fully smoked meats using traditional smoke processing methods employed by Tl'azt'en and Lheidli T'enneh nations indicate that a risk assessment is required to determine the safety of these smoke-processed foods.

Acknowledgments

We thank Vincent Joseph for the collection of food samples and members of Canada's First Nation communities of Tl'azt'en, and Lheidli T'enneh for preparing the smoked moose and salmon samples. We also thank Ian Baird of Health Canada, Environmental Public Health Services, Prince George, BC, for his assistance in developing the project. This study was supported by a grant from the National First Nations Environmental Contaminants Program (NFNECP).