https://www.journalsarjnp.com/index.php/SARJNP <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>South Asian Research Journal of Natural Products</strong> aims to publish high-quality papers (<a href="https://journalsarjnp.com/index.php/SARJNP/general-guideline-for-authors">Click here for Types of paper</a>) covering all aspects of research of naturally occurring compounds or the biology of living systems from which they are obtained.</p> en-US [email protected] (South Asian Research Journal of Natural Products) [email protected] (South Asian Research Journal of Natural Products) Fri, 21 Aug 2026 11:10:15 +0000 OJS 3.3.0.21 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 https://www.journalsarjnp.com/index.php/SARJNP/article/view/266 <p>Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent contaminants generated mainly through the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biomass and other carbonaceous materials. Grains may become contaminated during cultivation, transportation, processing, storage and marketing. This study investigated the occurrence, distribution and food-safety implications of sixteen United States Environmental Protection Agency priority PAHs in edible grains consumed in Enugu State, Nigeria. Wheat, oat, Bambara nut, millet and guinea corn were collected from three markets representing Enugu East, Enugu West and Enugu North senatorial zones, with three replicate samples of each grain collected from each market. Samples were extracted by Soxhlet extraction using dichloromethane/n-hexane (1:1, v/v), purified by silica-gel column chromatography and analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Instrument calibration with certified PAH standards and identification based on retention times and mass spectral characteristics supported quality control. All sixteen priority PAHs were detected. Total Σ16 PAHs ranged from 1.523 mg/kg in oat to 3.365 mg/kg in guinea corn, following the order guinea corn &gt; millet &gt; Bambara nut &gt; wheat &gt; oat. HMW PAHs accounted for 79.54–80.24% of total PAHs, while LMW PAHs contributed 19.76–20.46%. LMW/HMW ratios ranged from 0.246 to 0.257, indicating consistent HMW predominance. This profile is consistent with possible combustion-related or pyrogenic influences, although molecular-weight ratios alone cannot establish definitive source attribution. Benzo[k]fluoranthene was the most abundant PAH, while acenaphthene and acenaphthylene were among the least abundant. The observed PAH burden has food-safety implications and highlights the need for routine monitoring, improved post-harvest practices, quantitative dietary exposure assessment and further source-apportionment studies.</p> Kenneth Ifeanyi Ogbu, Prisca Ifeoma Udeozo, Okechukwu Paul Nsude, Kingsley John Orie Copyright (c) 2026 Author(s). The licensee is the journal publisher. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. https://www.journalsarjnp.com/index.php/SARJNP/article/view/266 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000