Analysis of Trace Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QACs) in Vegetables Using Ultrasonic-Assisted Extraction and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

A reliable, sensitive, and cost-effective method was developed for determining three quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) including dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride, cetyltrimethylammonium chloride, and didodecyldimethylammonium chloride in various vegetables using ultrasonic-assisted extraction and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The variety and acidity of extraction solvents, extraction times, and cleanup efficiency of sorbents were estimated to obtain an optimized procedure for extraction of the QACs in nine vegetable matrices. Excellent linearities (<i>R</i>² > 0.992) were obtained for the analytes in the nine matrices. The limits of detection and quantitation were 0.7–6.0 and 2.3–20.0 μg/kg (dry weight, dw) in various matrices, respectively. The recoveries in the nine matrices ranged from 70.5% to 108.0% with relative standard deviations below 18.0%. The developed method was applied to determine the QACs in 27 vegetable samples collected from Guangzhou in southern China, showing very high detection frequency with a concentration of 23–180 μg/kg (dw)