Food Additives and Contaminants - Part A, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
The study examined the effects of fat ratios (10, 20, and 30%), cooking methods (hot plate and barbecue), and cooking degree (raw, rare, medium, or well) on the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and some physicochemical properties in a semi-dry fermented sausage, heat-treated sucuk (HTS). While the pH value increased depending on the cooking degree, moisture and fat contents decreased as the cooking degree increased. Fat ratio, cooking method, and cooking degree significantly affected the moisture retention, fat retention, and cooking yield of the samples (p < 0.01). The levels of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and total PAH4 (benzo[a]pyrene + benzo[a]anthracene + benzo[b]fluoranthene + chrysene) increased depending on the fat ratio and cooking degree. Moreover, barbecuing caused higher BaP and PAH4 formation. Similar results were also obtained for total PAH8 and PAH16 contents.