Which food processing method has been linked to cancer in laboratory animals?

Which food processing method has been linked to cancer in laboratory animals?

• A. Smoke curing
• B. Pickling
• C. Freeze-drying
• D. Irradiation

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that cancer risk from food processing often comes from harmful compounds formed during the method. Smoke-curing foods exposes them to smoke that contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In laboratory animals, PAHs such as benzo[a]pyrene are activated in the body to reactive forms that bind to DNA, causing mutations that can lead to tumors. This is why smoke curing has been linked to cancer in animal studies. Other methods—like freeze-drying, pickling, or irradiation—do not introduce these DNA-damaging PAHs to the same extent, so they aren’t associated with the same animal cancer findings.

The key idea is that cancer risk from food processing often comes from harmful compounds formed during the method. Smoke-curing foods exposes them to smoke that contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In laboratory animals, PAHs such as benzo[a]pyrene are activated in the body to reactive forms that bind to DNA, causing mutations that can lead to tumors. This is why smoke curing has been linked to cancer in animal studies. Other methods—like freeze-drying, pickling, or irradiation—do not introduce these DNA-damaging PAHs to the same extent, so they aren’t associated with the same animal cancer findings.