Determination of PAH in food samples by HPLC with fluorimetric detection following sonication extraction without sample clean-up

A rapid method is proposed for the determination of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in non-fatty food (mashed potato, potato and toasted bread samples) based on their extraction with ethyl ether-methylene chloride (1 : 1) by sonication, and subsequent separation by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorimetric detection. A Hypersil Green PAH column was used with a gradient of acetonitrile-water as the mobile phase, together with a programme of ten excitation and emission wavelength pairs. At levels 1.60-2320 mug kg(-1), mean recoveries of PAH were in the range 70-86% for mashed potato, potato and toasted bread samples. The relative standard deviations were in the range 4.2-11% (n = 6). Total PAH found in mashed potato were in the range 9.35-17.1 mug kg(-1), in potato samples 8.47-17.2 mug kg(-1) and in toasted bread samples 7.38-18.0 mug kg-1, with relative standard deviations in the range 0.8-12%. Only chrysene, determined in Ortiz toasted bread (7.38 mug kg(-1)), has carcinogenic properties.