THE INFLUENCE OF SMOKING METHOD ON THE LEVELS OF POLY CYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHS) IN SMOKED CATFISH (CLARIASGARIEPINUS) FILLETS.

Fish smoking is among the oldest methods of preservation which mankind has used in fish processing. Potential health hazards associated with smoked fish may be caused by carcinogenic components as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs of wood smoke. In this study, catfish (Clariasgariepinus) fillets were subjected to traditional smoking method (cold and hot smoking). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs of smoked fillets were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Comparison of the concentration of PAHs in smoked fish samples processed by cold and hot smoking were investigated with the aim of determining the process that contributed more concentration of the PAHs to the fish samples.The detected low molecular weight PAHs in the cold and hot fish samples wereAcenaphthylene, Acenaphthene, Fluorene, Phenanthrene, Anthracene, Fluoranthene and Pyrene. Benzo(a)anthracene and Chrysene (PAH2)that high molecular weight probable consider human carcinogens were detected only in cold smoked samples. A higher concentrations (P ? 0.05) of PAHs compoundswere found of cold smoked samples than hot smoked. The sum PAHs concentrations in the smoked fish fillets were 606.1 ?g/Kg for cold smoked sample and 180.69 ?g/Kg for hot smoked. Benzo[a]pyrene(BaP) should be considered as indicators for carcinogenic PAHs in foods not detected in both hot and cold smoked fillets.PAH4 (benzo(a)pyrene, benz(a)anthracene, benzo (b)fluoranthene and chrysene); only benz(a)anthracene and chrysene were found in cold smoked samples (10.7µg/kg) below than the maximum tolerable risk limits (12 µg/kg).Sum of toxic equivalency BaPeq (TEQ) was recorded high value (1.722µg/kg) for cold smoked catfish fillets while, for hot smoked fillets was low value (0.301µg/kg), these values of TEQ were below than maximum risk limit for BaPeq level (2µ/kg) set by European Commission Regulation. Therefore, hot smoking method could be deemed safer than cold smokingfor human consumption, nevertheless both cold and hot smoking method not regarded as carcinogenic as reports recorded by European Commission Regulation and the results reveal that the fish samples smoked by two different methods do not constitute a health risk, as the benzo (a) pyrene are not detected.