Low-Pressure GC and UHPLC Analysis of Environmental Contaminants in Meats

A team of researchers has developed a high-throughput analysis method for 192 diverse pesticides and 51 environmental contaminants (13 polychlorianted biphenyl [PCB] congeners, 14 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs], seven polybrominated diphenyl ethers [PBDE] congeners, and 17 novel flame retardants) in cattle, swine, and poultry meats.¹ The team used a combination of low-pressure gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LP)GC–MS–MS and ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography coupled to tandem MS in the analysis.    Meat makes up a large proportion of the human diet, and is therefore one of the biggest routes of these contaminants into the body. Human exposure to these environmental contaminants is therefore typically through foods of animal origin.    Sample preparation was based on the QuEChERS approach using filter-vial dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE) cleanup. The extracts were analyzed in parallel by (LP)GC–MS–MS and UHPLC–MS–MS (10 min each). The method was validated at three spiking levels (10 ng/g, 25 ng/g, and 100 ng/g) at or below established tolerance levels in the sample types. Acceptable recoveries (70–120%) and relative standard deviations (RSDs) ≤ 20% were achieved for 200 (82%) of the analytes.    The team applied the validated method to the analysis of real-world incurred meat samples, demonstrating the importance of the method for implementation in regulatory and commercial laboratories.   Reference 1. Lijun Han, Yelena Sapozhnikova, and Steven J. Lehotay, Food Control66, 270–282 (2016).