The grilling and smoking process of barbecuing might produce carcinogenic chemicals, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday, as it offered five tips for safer cooking during Tuesday next week’s Mid-Autumn Festival.
As many Taiwanese enjoy barbecuing with friends and family during the holiday, the FDA has issued a reminder to avoid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from grilling and smoking.
PAHs are formed through incomplete combustion or pyrolysis of organic materials, such as coal, oil, wood, while improper methods of grilling meat can cause smoke that contains PAHs to adhere to the surface of the meat, FDA food safety division official Hsiao Hui-wen (蕭惠文) said.
Photo: CNA
Kao Tsai-hua (高彩華), a professor in Fu Jen Catholic University’s Department of Food Science, said that PAHs are a class of organic compounds, and those containing more than four benzene rings — a configuration of six carbon atoms — are more stable and more toxic.
Among them, Benzo[a]pyrene has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a Group 1 carcinogen, she said.
PAHs can occur in barbecued or grilled foods, originating from “incomplete combustion of coal, oil and wood,” and “pyrolysis of fat and protein at high temperatures,” she added.
People can barbecue or grill food at lower temperatures and keep the food farther away from the heat source, to prevent smoke from adhering to it, or consider using an electric oven or air fryer, instead of grilling with charcoal, to avoid consuming PAHs, Kao said.
The FDA suggests five tips for safer barbecuing during the holiday, Hsiao said.
First, choose a well-ventilated location to enjoy barbecuing and avoid breathing in too much smoke.
Second, reduce the time that food is exposed to charcoal smoke.
Cooks should wait until the charcoal flame is more stable and not smoking, before placing food on the grill rack, Hsiao said.
Third, wrap food that often drips water or oil with foil or other material to keep liquid from dripping onto charcoal and producing smoke, she said.
Fourth, for food ingredients that take more time to cook thoroughly, people should consider cooking them with other methods first, such as steaming them before placing them on the grill, to reduce the time they are exposed to smoke, as well as to prevent them becoming charred, she said.
Last, people should remove charred parts of food before eating them, she said.
People should also eat more fresh fruit and vegetables with their barbecue, drink plenty of water, and avoid drinking sugary or alcoholic beverages to reduce excessive calorie intake, Hsiao said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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