10th U6+ Consortium of African Universities International Conference

The global use of wood fuel for cooking and heating has devastating negative health effects, with 2 million deaths annually from pneumonia, cancer, and chronic lung diseases due to exposure to pollution from biomass combustion, including polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Acrylamide is a chemical compound that naturally forms in starchy, plant-based foods during high-temperature cooking processes. Acrylamide is classified as a group 2A carcinogen, as well as causing other health effects such as neurotoxicity and hepatoxicity. In this review, n-hexane and dichloromethane (DCM) extracts of woods and charcoals from Nasarawa State in Nigeria, fractionated in an alumina column and characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), showed a total of 16 PAHs in the samples. While benzo(a)pyrene was the highest in amounts (0.326 mg/kg) and (0.300 mg/kg) for both DCM extracts for P. erinaceus (Shanjini) and A. leocarpa (Marke) woods, benzo(g,h,i)perylene was the least in amount (0.000 mg/kg) for n-hexane extracts. This review reports acrylamide formation in baked and fried foods; the main pathway is the Maillard reaction, and other factors that promote its formation include high carbohydrate content, longer cooking times, and higher cooking temperatures. Although PAH levels in all samples were well below recommended toxic levels, close monitoring of fuel sources is warranted, especially given the increasing pressure on global fuel supplies. The review recommends ways to mitigate these toxic food contaminants.