Determination of benzo[a]pyrene in charcoal grilled meat samples by HPLC with fluorescence detection

In this study, an HPLC procedure for the quantitative determination of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in charcoal grilled meat samples has been applied to the analysis of the Turkish meat samples. The grilled meat samples were first treated in alkaline medium, then BaP was extracted into n-hexane phase, purified on XAD-2 column and eluted with n-hexane/dichloromethane mixture (9:1,v/v). Separation and quantitative determination of BaP has been carried out by a C18 reversed phase column mounted HPLC with a fluorescence detection of 254-355 nm (excitation-emission). The BaP levels determined in grilled and over-grilled lamb and beef meats were 43.80 +/- 1.80 microg/kg, 31.33 +/- 0.94 microg/kg and 62.60 +/- 3.72 microg/kg, 37.60 +/- 3.84 microg/kg, respectively.