Dry column-thermal energy analyzer method for determining N-nitrosopyrrolidine in fried bacon: collaborative study

Area of Science:

• Food Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Toxicology

Background:

• N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPYR) is a potential carcinogen found in cured meats.
• Accurate detection of NPYR is crucial for food safety.
• Existing methods for NPYR isolation and detection can be cumbersome.

Purpose of the Study:

• To collaboratively study and validate a dry column method for NPYR isolation.
• To assess the method's performance using gas chromatography-thermal energy analyzer (TEA).
• To establish the method as an official alternative for NPYR analysis in bacon.

Main Methods:

• A dry column chromatographic method for NPYR isolation from fried, cure-pumped bacon.
• Detection using gas chromatography-thermal energy analyzer (TEA).
• Collaborative study involving 11 laboratories with statistical analysis of results.

Main Results:

• Collaborative testing identified and excluded outlying results, refining the dataset.
• The method demonstrated good repeatability and reproducibility across different sample levels.
• Low group: CVs of 6.00% (repeatability) and 7.47% (reproducibility).
• High group: CVs of 5.64% (repeatability) and 13.72% (reproducibility).
• Average recovery of the N-nitrosoazetidine internal standard was 85.2% with a 10.5% average laboratory CV.

Conclusions:

• The dry column method is a reliable and validated alternative for NPYR analysis.
• The method offers comparable or improved performance to existing procedures.
• The method has been adopted as an official first action method.