Cereal products as a source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used for the determination of 25 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in cereal products available in Finland. Even though the levels of PAH in ordinary cereal products were low, the high level of consumption of these products (67.7 kg/person annually) makes them a significant source of PAH. The level of PAH in bolted flours and milled oats and wheat ranged from 25 to 38 mu g/kg and in rolled oats was 64 mu g/kg. The average concentration of PAH in bran was 220 mu g/kg. One specially smoked cereal product contained PAH in concentrations as high as 4500 mu /kg and benzo(a)pyrene in concentrations 100 times higher than in other cereal products. The average annual intake of the 25 PAH compounds from ordinary cereal products was estimated to be 2000 mu g per capita.