Decanoic acid reverse micelle-based coacervates for the microextraction of bisphenol A from canned vegetables and fruits

Decanoic acid reverse micelle-based coacervates were proposed for the extraction of bisphenol A (BPA) from canned vegetables and fruits prior to its determination by liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection at λexc = 276 nm and λem = 306 nm. The procedure involved the extraction of minute quantities (300–700 mg) of homogenized food sample with an aqueous solution containing 10% of THF and 0.5% of decanoic acid, conditions under which the coacervate (around 340 μL) formed in situ and instantaneously. The overall sample treatment, which included extraction and centrifugation, took about 25–30 min, and several samples could be simultaneously treated using conventional lab equipment. No clean-up or solvent evaporation were required. Extraction efficiencies mainly depended on the decanoic acid and THF concentration in the aqueous solution and were not affected by the pH or the temperature in the ranges studied (1–4 and 20–60 °C, respectively). Recoveries in samples ranged between about 81 and 96%. The precision of the method, expressed as relative standard deviation, was about 3% and the quantitation limit was around 9 ng g−1, which was far below the current specific migration limit (SML) set for BPA by the EU Commission (600 ng g−1). The method was successfully applied to the determination of BPA in the solid content of canned fruit salad, peaches in syrup, mango slices, red peppers, sweetcorn, green beans and peas. BPA was present at concentrations in the range from 7.8 to 24.4 ng g−1in canned fruits and from 55 to 103 ng g−1in canned vegetables.