## 1 Introduction
reactions with NO\({}_{2}\) or NO\({}_{3}\) radicals [17]. Additionally, combustion processes result in the tandem emission of NPAHs and OPAHs during soot formation [18; 20]. Further heterogeneous oxidation and incomplete combustion reactions promote their high abundance in polluted air and particulate matter [17; 18]. Additionally, the interaction between environmental PAHs and halogen-containing compounds during food processing and photochemical processes might result in the production of halogenated PAHs (XPAHs) [10; 12; 21]. Given their associated negative effects, the need for a systematic and comprehensive analysis of PAHs is increasing [4; 22]. Accordingly, considerable efforts have been dedicated to screening the environmental transport and fate of PAHs in order to supply further insight with regard to their exposure and effects on human health [4; 17]. For example, [PERSON] and [PERSON] (2015) thoroughly explained how the priority PAHs (Figure 1) are standardized and widely accepted by scientists and routinely integrated into various environmental investigations. However, the team pointed out the difficulty of using a small number of representatives for a plethora of compounds (Figure 2) [2; 8]. In terms of PAH compounds overseen by EU and US rules versus those not following such guidelines, future studies are encouraged to re-evaluate their genotoxicity and carcinogenicity and should include additional compounds pertaining to their occurrence in food. Meat, edible oils, and cereal products are among the main food categories that are accompanied by relatively high daily intakes [23]. Given that they are usually consumed in large amounts, these foodstuffs represent concerning dietary exposure levels [24]. Current evidence addresses the amounts of PAHs stemming from food intake, which depends on both the initial food contamination (manufacturing/packaging) and the method of cooking [2; 15; 25]. However, under the combined action of mixed manufacturing and packaging processes, there are still uncertainties with regard to the source, fate, and health effects of PAHs. To this extent, a broad context is set for the continuous need for additional relevant research on the toxicity, occurrence, and analysis of PAHs and PAH derivatives (nitrated, oxygenated, halogenated, etc.) in meat, edible oils, and cereal products. Figure 2: Examples of heterocyclic PAH derivatives. NPAHs—nitropenated PAHs; OPAHs—oxygenated PAHs; XPAHs—halogenated PAHs. In this setting, this study aims to showcase the impact of thermal processing techniques on the formation of PAHs in meat, edible oils, and cereal-derived products. Moreover, this review attempts to bridge the characteristics and variation trends of PAH occurrence with the endeavor to minimize future exposure. Emphasis is placed on features related to PAH formation and accumulation patterns in these food groups. The overall goal is to improve the understanding of the conditions under which food contamination entails mitigation. Subsequently, focusing on the wide discrepancy in the available results in the scientific literature and the scarce screening of PAH derivatives, an overview of the associated challenges underlines the need for sustained PAH monitoring and inspection.