Development and Single-laboratory Validation of a Gas-chromatographic Method for the Analysis of 15 Mutagenic and Genotoxic PAHs in Primary Smole Condensates

A method was developed and validated in-house according to the IUPAC harmonised guideline for the determination of 15 carcinogenic and mutagenic polytcyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in primary smoke condensates that are used in food products. The method was based on gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection. Sample preparation consisted of alkaline saponification, liquid/liquid extraction with cyclohexane, and solid phase clean-up with silica gel. Limits of detection (LOD) varied between 0.1 and 1.3 µg/kg, limits of quantification (LOQ) between 0.5 and 4 µg/kg for the various PAHs in primary smoke condensate (PSC). The coefficient of variance of the repeatability was between 0.7 % (benzo[a]pyrene) and 30 % (dibenzo[a,h]pyrene) relative standard deviation, depending on the analyte. The recoveries varied between 100-102 % (dibenzo[a,l]pyrene) and 69-83 % (dibenzo[a,h]pyrene) over the analytical range of 5-35 µg/kg.JRC.D.8-Food safety and qualit