Widespread occurrence of phthalic acid esters in raw oilseeds in China used for edible vegetable oil production

<p>Seven different phthalic acid esters (PAEs) were quantified in 124 samples of 16 types of oilseeds from China using a simplified GC-MS method. Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate and di-<i>n</i>-butyl phthalate were found in all tested oilseed samples. Each made a high contribution to the summed total PAEs. Total PAE concentrations in 124 oilseeds ranged from 0.14 to 3.05 mg kg^–1, and the mean was 0.99 mg kg^–1. Mandulapalka (<i>Cyperus esculentus</i>) samples were the most severely contaminated among all the tested specimens; maize germ samples were least contaminated. Di-<i>n</i>-octyl phthalate and butylbenzyl phthalate were not detected in 12 and five types of oilseeds, respectively. Only eight samples contained all seven analytes. No difference was observed between woody oil-bearing plant and herbaceous oil-bearing plant in terms of PAEs content.