Evaluation and Comparison of Three Common Methods for PFAS Extraction from Soybean Tissues

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Food Safety Science

Background:

• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants with potential risks to agricultural and food safety.
• Accurate extraction of PFAS from plant matrices is crucial for reliable risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of three methods (MTBE-NaOH, EPA Method 1633, FDA CAM Method C-010.03) for extracting PFAS from soybean tissues.
• To identify the most suitable method for routine PFAS analysis in plant samples at various concentrations.

Main Methods:

• Evaluation of methyl tert-butyl ether-sodium hydroxide (MTBE-NaOH) method.
• Assessment of EPA Method 1633.
• Analysis using U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Chemical Analytical Manual (CAM) Method C-010.03.
• Comparison of extraction efficiency, reproducibility, and cost.

Main Results:

• EPA Method 1633 demonstrated superior and reproducible extraction recoveries, particularly at low PFAS concentrations.
• At high PFAS concentrations, EPA Method 1633 remained consistently reliable.
• Cost analysis supported EPA Method 1633 and MTBE-NaOH for plant tissue analysis.

Conclusions:

• EPA Method 1633 is recommended as the default method for routine PFAS analysis in plant tissues at typical environmental levels.
• MTBE-NaOH method is preferred for highly contaminated samples requiring accurate isotopic correction.
• Findings enhance understanding of PFAS in edible crops, aiding risk assessment and food safety.