Determination of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in milk and related products using solid-phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

A method for the determination of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in milk and related products based on direct immersion-solid phase microextraction (DI-SPME) followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry detection (GC–MS) has been developed. The influence of various parameters on PAH extraction efficiency was carefully monitored. Good performance (recovery, precision and quantitation limits) was attained when a PDMS/DVB fiber was immersed in the sample for 60 min at 55 °C. Detection limits ranged from 0.003 to 1.5 μg L−1 at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, depending on the compound and the sample. The proposed method was successfully applied to infant formulas, milk and related products and the presence of both fluoranthene and pyrene in two samples was confirmed.