An efficient fabric phase sorptive extraction protocol combined with UPLC-MS/MS for the trace-level determination of...

In this research work, a novel sample preparation FPSE-UPLC-MS/MS method was developed for the selective determination of PFAS in sunflower oil samples. The reliable determination of PFAS in edible oils is particularly challenging due to their occurrence at trace levels, their interaction with lipid-rich matrices, and the strong matrix effects that can compromise sensitivity and accuracy. The main steps that affect the sample preparation procedure were optimized and the method was validated. Good selectivity, accuracy, precision, linearity, and sensitivity were demonstrated. As revealed by BAGI and ComplexMoGAPI evaluation, the herein developed method exhibited good practicality in terms of applicability and reduced environmental impact. These benefits can be attributed to the decreased consumption of organic solvent during the FPSE procedure, the possibility for parallel sample handling, the reduced sample consumption, and the simple and efficient synthetic procedure for the preparation of the sol-gel CW 20 M coated membranes. Finally, the FPSE-UPLC-MS/MS method was utilized for the analysis of various sunflower oil samples. Most samples showed PFAS concentrations below the detection limit, indicating insignificant contamination. However, trace amounts were detected in several samples including PFOA in twelve, PFNA in six, and PFOS in three samples with one sunflower oil sample exhibiting the highest levels (0.008 µg kg^-1 PFOA and 0.005 µg kg^-1 PFOS).