Rapid and sensitive method for the determination of four EU marker polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cereal-based foods using isotope-dilution GC/MS. Issue 4 (2nd April 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kacmaz, Sibel; Zelinkova, Zuzana; Wenzl, Thomas
• Is Part Of: Food additives & contaminants. Volume 33:Issue 4(2016)
• Page Start: 631
• Page End: 638
• Publication Date: 2016-04-02
• Subjects: Four EU marker PAHs -- bread -- cornflakes -- GC/MS analysis -- method validation; Food additives -- Periodicals; Food contamination -- Periodicals; 664.06
• DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2016.1162032
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1944-0049

Abstract

ABSTRACT: A rapid and sensitive method has been developed for the determination of the four European Union marker polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; benz[ a ]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[ b ]fluoranthene and benzo[ a ]pyrene) in some cereal-based foods. The method is based on pressurised liquid extraction (PLE), solid-phase extraction clean-up (SPE) and isotope-dilution gas chromatography with mass-spectrometric detection (GC/MS). The developed method was calibrated for the content range of 0.05–12.5 µg kg −1 (expressed on a product basis). Recoveries of PAH were monitored in each sample via the recovery of 13 C-labelled PAHs. Recovery values were in the range between 86% and 91%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) between 5% and 9%. The achieved limits of detection for all analytes were below 0.05 µg kg −1 . The applicability of the method for the analysis of routine samples was studied by the analysis of a set of commercial bread and breakfast cereal samples. In all analysed samples, benzo[ a ]pyrene (BAP) was the most prevalent PAH with the content between 0.09 and 0.30 µg kg −1 . On average, samples showed low levels of the sum of the four EU marker PAHs (ΣPAH4) that ranged between 0.11 and 0.22 µg kg −1 for bread samples and between 0.23 and 0.87 µg kg −1 for breakfast cereal samples. The developed method was found suitable for the determination of PAHs in cereal-based foods like cornflakes and breads with total relative fat contents below 3.5%.