Introduction:

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of organic compounds composed of two or more fused aromatic rings, categorized as potential carcinogens. They are formed by the incomplete combustion of organic matter or during food processing and cooking. Coffee is one of the foods that contain PAHs, primarily due to the roasting process. At present, there is no available data regarding the PAHs content in coffees sold in Uruguay.

Objective:

To analyze the risk of PAHs exposure to PAHs extrapolated to coffee consumption in the Uruguayan population.

Materials and methods:

A narrative review was conducted, selecting scientific articles without any exclusion based on geographic origin, that reported the content of benzo[a]pyrene, chrysene, benzo[a]anthracene, and benzo[b]fluoranthene in Arabica and Robusta coffee from ground, whole beans, and infusions. Based on these data, a risk analysis was performed by calculating margins of exposure (MOE) for low, medium, and high consumption scenarios.

Results:

Fourteen articles were included, reporting the PAHs content in coffees consumed in the United States of America, Mexico, Brazil, Vietnam, Taiwan, Iran, Chile, Denmark, Poland, India, and Nigeria, produced in Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil, Vietnam, Taiwan, Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Sumatra, with varying roasting times and temperatures, in ground coffee, whole beans, and infusions. Among the total MOEs, 97.9% correspond to values exceeding 10,000.

Conclusions:

Based on the calculated MOEs from the constructed scenarios and considering the data published in the literature, only 2,1% correspond to situations of public health concern.