Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in coffee brew samples: Analytical method by GC–MS, profile, levels and sources

Roasting is a crucial step for the production of coffee, as it enables the development of color, aroma, andflavor, which are essential for the characterization of the coffee quality. At the same time, roasting maylead to the formation of not desirable compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Inthis paper, we report a method for PAHs determination in coffee brew, based on saponification andliquid–liquid extraction with small volumes of hexane, with exclusion of further processes of purificationsince we analyze the extract by gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detectors in the single ionmonitoring mode (SIM). The total concentration of the 28 compounds investigated, expressed as the sumof concentrations (PPAH), in coffee brew varies from 0.52 to 1.8 lg/l. Carcinogenic PAHs, expressed asB[a]Peq ranged from 0.008 to 0.060 lg/l. The results indicate that coffee contributes with very insignificantquantities to the daily human intake of carcinogenic PAHs. The values of calculated isomeric ratiosconfirm that the PAHs identified in most of the coffee samples originate from high temperature processes.