Method development and validation for analysis of 74 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food of animal
Kevin M Stroski1, Yelena Sapozhnikova1
1USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Regional Research Center, Wyndmoor, PA, USA.
Background:
The detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food is extremely important for ensuring safe food consumption however most analytical methods focus on only a small group of known analytes. The goal of this study was to develop and validate a new method for analysis of 74 PFAS ranging across 15 different groups including legacy PFAS, short-chain alternatives, precursors and breakdown products in beef, chicken, pork, catfish and eggs.
Results:
The method was based on "quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, safe, efficient, and robust" (QuEChERSER) mega-method and LC-MS/MS analysis. Validation was performed at, above and below maximum levels set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in beef, chicken, pork, catfish, liquid egg, and powdered egg samples. Acceptable recoveries were obtained for 72 %-93 % of analytes using reagent only calibration curves across all matrices and concentrations tested. This increased to 84 %-97 % when using matrix matched calibration curves. Method performance was comparable (or better than) US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) methods. Further validation of the method with NIST standard reference materials (SRMs) 1946 and 1947 resulted in accuracies of 71 %-112 %. The validated method was applied to test catfish samples, and low levels of PFAS (0.020-2.24 ng/g wet weight) were measured in both farm raised and wild caught fish.
Significance:
These results demonstrate the ability of this method to accurately measure a broad range of PFAS analytes in complex food matrices providing broad applicability and versatility to end users. To our knowledge, this is the largest current targeted method for analysis of PFAS in foods.
