Evaluation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Vegetable Oils: A Review and Meta-analysis and Health Risk Assessment

Individuals’ daily diets include a wide variety of vegetable oils worldwide. Our study assessed the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in several vegetable oils (corn, sunflower, olive, soybean, sesame, and canola). A search of major international databases was conducted to find published studies on PAHs in vegetable oils between May 12, 1986, and June 20, 2021. Based on the results of 13 research articles, out of 713 retrieved studies, the most common PAHs found in corn, sunflower, olive, sesame, soybean, and canola were fluoranthene (33.6 µg/kg), dibenz[a,h]anthracene (7.13 µg/kg), phenanthrene (22.45 µg/kg), benz[a]anthracene (16.49 µg/kg), naphthalene (3.92 µg/kg), and pyrene (8.01 µg/kg), respectively. However, the lowest concentrations of PAHs in the mentioned oils were associated with benzo[b]fluoranthene (11 µg/kg), benzo[b]fluoranthene (0.28 µg/kg), dibenz[a,h]anthracene (0.13 µg/kg), benzo [b]fluoranthene (0.22 µg/kg), acenaphthene (0.05 µg/kg), and benzo(g,h,i)perylene (0.150 µg/kg), respectively. According to the continent type, PAHs in vegetable oils were detected in countries of the European Region, Eastern Mediterranean Region, and Western Pacific Region. Based on the findings, there is a country-to-country variation in the carcinogenic and mutagenic risks of PAHs. As a result, vegetable oils pose no threat to human health.