Rapid determination of benzo(a)pyrene in processed meat and fish samples by second-derivative constant-energy synchronous fluorescence spectrometry

Abstract

A simple, rapid and cost-effective method has been established for the determination of the quantity of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), one of the most carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in roasted, smoked and charcoal grilled foods. Second-derivative constant-energy synchronous fluorescence spectrometry (DCESFS) improves the spectral resolution and selectivity of the fluorescence method. By using this method, processed meat, fish and some other food samples were analysed without resorting to complex pre-separation and purification procedures. The method was found to have a recovery of 97.7% ± 4.3%. The limit of detection (LOD) for BaP was 0.14 µg kg^–1, far below the regulatory limit (1.0 µg kg^–1) for BaP in food samples specified by the European Union. A certified reference material (Coconut oil, BCR®-458) was used to confirm the validity of the proposed method. The results suggest that the measurements are in a good agreement with the certified BaP concentrations (5.4% deviation). The results obtained by the proposed method for analysing BaP in food samples correlated well with those obtained by GC/MS.

Keywords:

• screening assays
• PAH
• cooked foods
• processed foods
• smoked food

Acknowledgements

Dan-Li Lin and Li-Fang He participated in preliminary experiments. The authors thank Dr Yu-Luan Chen for helpful suggestions. Financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Number 20975084), the Science and Technology program of Fujian Province (Grant Number 2009Y0046, [2008]794) and the Science and Technology program of Xiamen (Grant Number 3502z20077072) are gratefully acknowledged.