Abstract

The impact of roasting fuel on the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) content of roasted cowhide meat (“Kpomo”) processed and sold in the vicinity of abattoirs in Bayelsa and Rivers States were investigated. Cowhides are roasted using expired automobile tyres (T), waste plastics (P) and firewood (FW) as fuel. They are thereafter scrape out with knife and washed with water. Processed cowhide meat samples were purchased and transported to the laboratory for analysis. Cowhide scalded with hot water and fur brushed out with knife served as control. PAHs of the samples were analyzed using gas chromatography fitted with flame ionization detector. Analysis of individual PAH content showed that Benzo(b)fluoranthene and Fluoranthene had  highest values of 74.68 µg/kg and 28.28 µg/kg in Swale (T) and Igbogene (FW) roasted samples respectively. Concentrations of total PAHs recorded were; Swale (T) 79.25 µg/kg, Tombia (P) 44.03 µg/kg, Igbogene (FW) 41.27 µg/kg, Opolo (FW) 28.75 µg/kg, Rumuokoro (FW) 27.61 µg/kg, and Swale (FW) 22.67 µg/kg. However, PAHs were undetected in Control samples. Kruskal Wallis H Test showed there is significant difference between the concentrations of total PAHs in all the locations and between all the locations and the control. However, there was no significant difference between Opolo and Rumuokoro samples. The presence and high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the roasted edible cowhide meat samples is therefore attributed to the roasting fuels and the distribution is affected by the type of fuel (tyres, plastics and firewood) employed in the roasting procedure. Regular consumption of roasted cowhide could  put consumers at high risk of health hazard associated with mutagenic potentials of PAHs.