Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in spices and dried herbs and associated risk for the Belgian population

ABSTRACT

A total of 120 spices and herbs bought on the Belgian market have been analysed for occurrence of the four EU regulated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (ΣPAH4). Samples were sorted in three groups according to their use: traditional spices, exotic spices, and herbs. Benzo[a]pyrene has been detected in 56% of samples, while ΣPAH4 were found in 96% of samples. ΣPAH4 were evenly distributed among the three groups with a median content of 7.2 for traditional spices, 5.5 for exotic spices and 6.0 µg kg⁻¹ for herbs. According to the EU legislation, three samples were exceeding maximal limits, with a maximum ΣPAH4 content of 164 µg kg⁻¹. The ΣPAH4 dietary intake has been estimated at 1.4 and 27.8 ng day⁻¹ for average and high consumption, respectively. The risk for the consumer was evaluated by using the margin of exposure (MOE). In all cases, MOE were >20 000, indicating a low concern for the population.

KEYWORDS:

• PAH
• spices
• dried herbs
• GC-MS/MS
• monitoring
• Belgium
• risk assessment

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the financial support provided by the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (AFSCA-FAVV).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/19393210.2022.2106518

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain.