Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent an important group of chemical carcinogens formed during incomplete combustion of organic matter. PAHs occur as contaminants in different types of food and the main sources of contamination are environmental pollution and food processing such as drying, roasting and smoking. In the last years, the consumption of guaraná products has increased, as well as their market offer. During processing, the seeds are dried and roasted and in some cases they are submitted to a smoking step, these procedures can originate PAHs. The objective of the present study was to determine the levels of five carcinogenic PAHs: benzo(a)anthracene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene and dibenzo(a,h)anthracene in different brands of guaraná powder commercially available in Brazil. Determination was carried out by high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. PAHs were detected in 81% of the analysed samples with levels ranging from 0.05 to 8.04 µg/kg. Results indicate that the processing used during guaraná powder production may result in the presence of these contaminants in the final product.
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; PAHs; guaraná powder; HPLC
