Study of the contamination of sugarcane juice by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)

Abstract

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbonates (HPAs) are compounds formed from the incomplete burning of organic material and constitute an important class of environmental pollutants, many of them proven to be carcinogenic. In Brazil, the harvesting of sugarcane is done generally after the burning of the cane fields. This procedure could result in the contamination of the sugarcane by HPAs, and consequently, of the products obtained from the cane. In the present study, samples of juices commercialized in the cities of Campinas and Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, will be collected at two different times in the year and analyzed for the presence of 4 HPAs. The results of this research should identify the levels of contamination of the juices on sale and verify possible seasonal differences in the levels of contamination. (AU)