Measurement of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aroma-flavored olive oils produced using microwave and traditional maceration methods

Flavored olive oils were generally produced with the maceration method, which has disadvantages such as taking a long time and making the tanks unusable for a long time. The new techniques could produce flavored oils to shorten time according to maceration. In this work, three different olive oil types, including extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), refined olive oil (RO), and refined olive pomace oil (RPO) as oil sources and five plant materials (Tulsi, Thyme, Marjoram, Rosemary and Oregano) as flavoring materials were selected and subjected to a heating process in a microwave oven for a duration of 6, 8, 10, and 15 min at a constant frequency of 2450 MHz and a power of 0.45 kW to produce flavored oils and also used maceration technique. The presence of 4 PAH components, such as benzo(a)pyrene (B[a]P), benzo[a]anthracene (B[a]A), benzo(b)fluoranthene (B[b]F), and Chrysen (Chr), classified as dangerous for health was measured in the oils that were macerated and microwaved. In macerated oils, only B[a]P was detected in flavored RPOs. However, B[a]P and Chr were detected in all flavored oils, especially in a long-time microwave (10 and 15 min). Besides, B[a]A and B[b]F were found in only flavored RPOs with an increase in exposure time (10 and 15 min). The concentration of B[a]P detected in four samples, including the control sample (CRPO) and flavored samples, was above the limit value of 2 µg/kg. On the other hand, the total content of the four PAHs: B[a]P, B[a]A, B[b]F and Chr did not exceed the limit value of 10 μg/kg. As a result, PAHs are higher in extended exposure to microwave applications in flavored olive oils, compared to the conventional maceration method, resulting in lower-quality products regarding food safety.