Extraction, Analysis Methods and Pah4 Concentrations in Black Tea Infusion, a Systematic Review; [روش‌های استخراج، تجزیه دستگاهی و غلظت Pah4 در نوشیدنی‌های چای سیاه، یک مرور نظام‌مند]



Shavali Gilani P ; Sheijooni Fumani N ; Karimi Sarzameleh M ; Sadighara M ; Karimi S ; Pourzaman A ; Sadighara P
Source: Iranian Journal of Health and Environment Published:2026

Abstract

Background and Objective: Tea is a widely consumed hot beverage worldwide. There is a possibility of PAH contamination in tea products from both the environment and during its preparation process. Benzo[a]pyrene and benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, and benzo[b] fluoranthene are known as carcinogenic and genotoxic PAHs, and in some cases these four types of PAHs are evaluated in food. In this systematic review, the reported amounts and the measurement methods of these four types of PAHs in brewed teas are investigated. Materials and Methods: This systematic review was designed to focus on these four carcinogenic PAHs in brewed tea beverages. Initially, PubMed and Scopus databases were searched with the keywords polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAH4 or PAHs and (tea brew or brewed tea or tea beverage) without time limits. Results: articles were considered for full evaluation. Instrumental methods, sample preparation methods and amounts were extracted from the articles, discussed and summarized. Various amounts of PAH4 from ND to 223 µg/kg were detected in teas. Most of the measurement methods were GC-MS and HPLC-FLD. Sample preparation was carried out in two stages of extraction and cleanup. The most commonly used solvent in the extraction stage was hexane. SPE columns were also used for the cleanup stage in most studies. Conclusion: Given the high per capita consumption of tea, additional precautions are emphasized to reduce exposure to these compounds in this regard. Copyright © 2026 Iranian Association of Environmental Health and Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Noncommercial uses of the work are permitted to be made in the original work.