engleski

The occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in different types of Croatian dry- cured hams

Croatian dry-cured hams are traditional meat products with excellent consumer acceptance. One of the phases of production include salting with addition of spices (Istrian and Krk dry- cured ham) and smoking (Dalmatian and Drniš dry-cured ham) which makes them susceptible to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contamination. The aim of this study was to determine PAH content in four types of Croatian dry-cured hams (Dalmatian, Drniš, Krk and Istrian) from four different processing methods (differences in primary leg treatment, salting and smoking phase). Determination and quantification of PAHs was performed by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Out of 15 investigated PAHs, 13 compounds were detected. The total average BaP and PAH4 levels obtained from dry-cured hams ranged from 0.05-0.10 μg/kg and 0.41-0.67 μg/kg. Surprisingly, no significant differences were found between dry- cured hams in terms of BaP, PAH4, PAH8 and PAH 15 contents, although Krk and Istrian dry-cured ham manufacturing processes does not include smoking phase. The majority of PAHs detected in non- smoked dry-cured hams come from spices added in salting phase. BaP and PAH4 contents found in dry-cured ham samples did not exceed the currently legal levels according to the European legislation.

dry-cured ham, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benzo(a)pyrene, HPLC-FLD

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