More and more people are paying close attention to what they eat, tracking their calories, exercising daily, and filling their plates with foods that are naturally healthy, such as fruits and vegetables. But even with nutritious foods, hidden chemical concerns can exist. Some contaminants can enter food from the environment, while others can be formed during high-temperature cooking methods such as heating, smoking, grilling, roasting, and frying.
Among the compounds of interest are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs (hydrophobic organic compounds containing multiple fused aromatic rings). Some PAHs are known to be carcinogenic, making reliable food testing an important part of protecting public health.
Hidden food safety challenges
Detecting PAHs in food is not easy. Traditional extraction methods, such as solid-phase extraction, liquid-liquid extraction, and accelerated solvent extraction, are affordable but often require lengthy preparation, heavy labor, and chemical-intensive steps that are not ideal for workers or the environment.
To solve these problems, scientists are turning to a streamlined method known as QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, Safe). This approach is designed to speed sample preparation, reduce chemical use, improve recovery rates, and make food contaminant testing more practical for routine safety checks.
In a study in 2025, Joon-Goo Researchers from the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, led by Professor Lee, used QuEChERS to identify eight PAHs: benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene, indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene, dibenz(a,h)anthracene and benzo(g,h,i)perylene in food. The results of this study were published in a journal. Food science and biotechnology.
Achieve high accuracy and rapid testing
The research team used acetonitrile to extract PAHs from food samples and then tested several purification strategies, including different combinations of adsorbents. The method was validated across multiple food matrices and showed excellent performance. The R2 values of the calibration curves for all eight PAHs were greater than 0.99, indicating a highly linear and reliable measurement system.
Further analysis using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry showed that the limits of detection ranged from 0.006 to 0.035 μg/kg and the limits of quantification ranged from 0.019 to 0.133 μg/kg. Recoveries were also high: 86.3–109.6% at 5 µg/kg, 87.7–100.1% at 10 µg/kg, and 89.6–102.9% at 20 µg/kg. Accuracy values remained between 0.4 and 6.9% across all food matrices tested.
The study also reported that among the foods tested, soybean oil had the highest PAH levels, followed by duck meat and canola oil.
Professor Lee explains, “This method not only simplifies the analytical process but also exhibits high detection efficiency compared to traditional methods. It can be applied to a wide range of food matrices.”
Why is PAH important?
PAHs can form when food is exposed to high temperatures or smoke. According to the National Cancer Institute, PAHs can occur when meat fat or juices drip onto a hot surface or open flame, creating smoke, and these compounds get onto food. PAHs can also form during smoking and can be found in sources such as cigarette smoke and car exhaust.
The NCI notes that while PAHs and related high-temperature cooking compounds have caused cancer in animal studies, human population studies have not established a definitive link between exposure from cooked meat and cancer. This uncertainty is one reason why more precise measurement tools are valuable. Better testing will help regulators, researchers, and food companies understand where contamination is occurring and how it can be mitigated.
New research suggests broader use
Since Soultech’s work, other researchers have continued to improve QuEChERS-based methods for PAH detection. Survey in 2025 food developed a modified QuEChERS method with a freeze-out step and applied it to 302 retail food samples. The study found that smoked and dried fish products, kerifobushi, contained the highest concentrations of four priority PAHs, and yakitori chicken legs were identified as of potential health concern based on the European Food Safety Authority’s exposure margin approach.
Another study in 2025 focused on cereals and cereal-based products. The researchers developed an improved QuEChERS method using gas chromatography with Z Sep⁺ cleanup and tandem mass spectrometry. In 96 cereal samples and 18 cereal-based products from the Romanian market, only chrysene was quantified in 17% of the cereal samples and no PAHs were quantified in the derived products.
Taken together, these new findings suggest that QuEChERS-based approaches are becoming increasingly useful in a variety of food categories, from oils and meats to smoked products and cereals. It also shows why food-specific testing is important, as PAH levels can vary widely depending on raw materials, processing, cooking methods, and environmental exposures.
Safer food testing and cleaner labs
For the food industry, faster and more efficient PAH testing methods could improve safety controls by making it easier to test products before they reach consumers. This approach also has the potential to reduce costs and improve working conditions by eliminating time-consuming steps and limiting the use of hazardous chemicals.
“Our research can improve public health by providing safe food. It also reduces the use and emissions of harmful chemicals in clinical testing,” concludes Professor Lee.
The broader outcomes are clear. Food safety testing is becoming faster, cleaner, and more accurate. By improving how scientists detect PAHs, techniques like QuEChERS could help identify hidden contaminants, support safer food production, and reduce chemical waste in the laboratory.
About Professor Lee Jung-gu
Joon Goo Lee is a professor at the Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Seoul National University of Science and Technology. He is an expert in food regulation and safety assessment. He served as a scientific officer at the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and a visiting researcher at FSANZ. He is a member of the National Food Hygiene Commission and an expert with FAO/WHO JECFA. He also serves as the executive director of the Korean Food Safety Association. His research focuses on risk assessment and reduction of contaminants in food, contributing to science-based policy and improved public health.
