Halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Chinese traditional sausages with high salt: Profiles in market samples and formation during home cooking

Halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (XPAHs) are likely to be generated by the reaction between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and halide ions and therefore pose a great threat to high salt food safety. The aim is to explore the profiles of PAHs/XPAHs in market sausages and their formation during home cooking. Concentrations of PAH24 and XPAH18 in 36 market samples were 5.18-408.52 μg/kg and 0.05-0.41 μg/kg, respectively. Smoked sausages exhibited significantly higher concentrations of PAHs than non-smoked sausages. While ready-to-eat sausages presented notably higher XPAH levels than raw sausages. Furthermore, overcooking, such as baking at 220 °C, could result in an exaggerated increase in PAHs. Meanwhile, the increased chlorinated PAH levels after cooking indicated the unintentional formation of XPAHs during sausage cooking. Based on the ILCR model, the intake of 12.7 g/d for males and 10.8 g/d for females is the maximum threshold to achieve negligible risk levels (10-6).