COMPARISON BETWEEN 2 TECHNIQUES OF FAT EXTRACTION IN FOODS PRIOR TO THE DETERMINATION OF CHLORINATED RESIDUES

The efficiency of two methods for extracting the fat content of foods prior to determining the chlorinated residues were compared: (a) automated Soxhlet at high temperature (SOXTEC(R) System HT) and (b) homogenization with petroleum ether at room temperature by the PAM technique (Pesticide Analytical Manual, 1994). Both techniques were tested on 19 different ready-to-eat foods, covering a range of fat contents between 1 and 20%. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between the two techniques in the fat contents determined gravimetrically. Thus, the PAM technique was selected given its better performance for residue analysis. Furthermore, four samples of different food commodities were analyzed 4-times each using the PAM technique and results indicated a good accuracy and repeatability.