[Progress in the determination of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in complex matrices]

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Food Chemistry

Background:

• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are prevalent environmental contaminants.
• Low concentrations of PAHs in diverse matrices necessitate robust analytical methods.
• Effective sample pretreatment is critical for accurate PAH determination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and summarize analytical methods for PAHs in vegetable oils, water, and soil.
• To highlight the importance of sample pretreatment in PAH analysis.
• To discuss current and emerging separation and detection techniques for PAHs.

Main Methods:

• Review of established and novel sample pretreatment techniques including liquid-liquid extraction, solid phase extraction, Soxhlet extraction, ultrasonic extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, accelerated solvent extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, saponification, liquid-liquid partitioning, and caffeine complexation.
• Discussion of chromatographic separation techniques such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection.
• Exploration of on-line determination methods, including hyphenated techniques like LC-HPLC and LC-GC.

Main Results:

• Sample pretreatment significantly impacts the accuracy of PAH analysis due to low analyte levels.
• A variety of extraction and clean-up methods are applicable to different sample types (oils, water, soil).
• GC-MS and HPLC-fluorescence are primary detection methods, with hyphenated techniques offering promising results.

Conclusions:

• Optimized sample pretreatment is essential for reliable and sensitive PAH analysis across various matrices.
• Advanced chromatographic and on-line methods enhance the efficiency and accuracy of PAH determination.
• This review provides a comprehensive overview of current analytical strategies for PAHs.