Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sesame oils derived from sesame seeds of different places of origins

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon(PAH) contents were evaluated in sesame oils from sesame seeds of different origins and in commercial samples using HPLC with fluorescence detection. The sesame seeds, which had been harvested from India, China, and Korea, were roasted at 250°C for 25 min, and the commercial sesame oils were purchased from a local market. The recoveries for eight PAHs spiked into the sesame oils ranged from 80.2 to 99.2%. The mean levels of total PAHs in the sesame oils harvested from China, Korea, and India were 3.97, 1.57, and 1.20 μg/kg, respectively. The PAH contents in the commercial sesame oils ranged from 0.79 to 2.15 μg/kg.