Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in grilled meat products—A review

Current efforts to detect and quantify carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in the environment include analyses of foods. Grilled foods have been under scrutiny for almost 20 years. In this review reports concerning PAH contamination of grilled meat products are discussed. It is evident that the level of contamination varies considerably, primarily due to the extent of fat pyrolysis which has taken place. If proper precautions against fat pyrolysis are taken, and out-of-the-ordinary fuels such as crumpled paper or cones are not used, the PAH contamination is reduced substantially. Furthermore, if the relatively low consumption of grilled meat products is taken into consideration public concern over possible health risks due to grilling appears unwarranted.