Eating healthy has become almost a mantra. Contacts app, daily workouts, attention to labels. Fruit and vegetables are the undisputed protagonists of our diets. But there is a less known, and often ignored aspect: some foods may contain potentially harmful substances, even if they seem perfect. To cause them are not only the pesticides, but also the most common cooking methods, such as grilling, smoking or frying. It is in these moments that chemical compounds called pahs can be formed, that is, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Some of these have been classified as carcinogenic.
A South Korean research team found a way to detect them quickly and effectively, before they end up on our plate.
How the Quechers method works
The tools to identify the PAHS in food for some time, but they are not easy to use. Traditional methods require hours of work, many manual passages, and the use of harmful chemicals. All this translates into slow, expensive and not very sustainable analysis.
For this, researchers from the Seoul National University of Science and Technology, led by Professor Joon-Goo Lee, have chosen to test an alternative system: the Quechers method (acronym that is for Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, Safe – or fast, easy, cheap, effective, robust and safe).
This technique allows you to extract the contaminating substances from foods in much shorter times, reducing the number of steps, without sacrificing precision. And above all it is less impactful for the environment.
Eight compounds analyzed, precise results on different food matrices
In the study, published in August 2025 in the magazine Food Science and Biotechnologythe team analyzed Otto Pahs: Benzo (a) Antracene, Crisciene, Benzo (B) Sravorantne, Benzo (K) Smourantne, Benzo (a) Pirene, Indense (1,2,3-CD) Pirene, Dibenz (A, H) Antracene and Benzo (G, H, I) Perilene.
All are potentially dangerous organic compounds, already detected in different foods treated at high temperatures.
For the extraction it was used acetonitrile, followed by a passage of purification with sorbonners. The method has been tested on various food matrices, and the results were very solid:
These numbers, even if technical, indicate a very simple thing: the method works and works well. It is reliable, repeatable and suitable for controlling various types of foods.
This method not only makes the analysis easier and more secure, but can be applied to many types of food. It is more efficient than traditional techniques.
In addition to improving safety for consumers, the Quechers method also reduces the use of chemicals in the workshops. A choice that is good not only to the environment, but also to those who work in the sector. Professor Lee underlines that this system could be used on an industrial scale, to check the presence of contaminants before the product is distributed.
In practice, it can help companies save on the costs of quality controls, while making the most secure process for operators and the environment.
Our goal is to offer a useful tool to improve public health. And, at the same time, limit the use and dispersion of toxic substances.
Eating healthy also means knowing what really is in food. And today, thanks to methods like those, it is possible to make faster, sustainable and effective checks, helping both those who produce and those who consume.
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