For elimination of the disadvantages of the traditional procedure of smoking of fish and meat the so-called liquid smoke has been developed. Some steps during the production of liquid smoke reduce the PAH concentration in liquid smoke and in the resulting fish products. The solutions of a liquid smoke concentrate are treated for the removal of toxic compounds by a multilevel filtration which allows elimination of the toxic components while keeping the flavor. The safety of the resulting fish or meat depends on the concentration of this additive. Some manufacturers can exceed the recommended concentration of a liquid smoke in order to hide from smell of stale fish.
When smoked using the natural smoking conditions the fish or meat will contain the natural preservatives. The liquid smoke adds flavour and appearance to the food, but does not help to preserve it. Therefore, in order to avoid deterioration of the products, sometimes preservatives are added. This way the liquid smoke can become quite unhealthy. This is actually a substitution of certain natural unhealthy compounds by artificial unhealthy compounds. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) found in 2010 that a smoke flavouring product which is obtained from beech wood, as AM01, may be toxic to humans.
Now, what to prefer – old traditions or new technologies? Tinted production or a poisoning of an organism with carcinogens? The choice remains behind the consumer (Image: Wikipedia).