Abstract:
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) commonly refers to a large class of organic
compounds containing two or more fused aromatic rings made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms.
PAHs are formed and released during incomplete combustion or pyrolysis (burning) of organic
matter such as waste or food, during industrial processes, fuel burning and other human activities.
PAHs are also formed in natural processes, such as carbonization. This study aimed to determine
the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in both commercial packed milk
and raw milk from several cities all over Egypt. It was found that the concentrations of PAHs in
the raw milk was higher than commercial packed milk. A number of PAHs have shown
carcinogenic effects in experimental animals and it has been concluded that benzo[a]pyrene is
carcinogenic to humans. The analysis was carried using a modified QuEChERS procedure
followed by injection on gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. The results
showed that 88% of packaged milk contained one or more compound of PAH, and in raw milk
93% of the samples contained one or more compound of PAH.
The specificity and sensitivity of GC/MS technique was highly significant of
approximately 99%. The applicability of gas chromatography was clear, mostly allPAHs
compounds were detected and analyzed properly.
