Static headspace–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for the simultaneous determination of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids in canned vegetables

• Simultaneous determination of volatiles (10 THMs) and non-volatiles (13 HAAs) DBPs.
• Sample treatment of canned vegetables was carried out in a single step into an SHS unit.
• Two SHS–GC–MS methods were developed for the analysis of both solid and liquid phases.
• Up to 3 THMs and 5 HAAs were found in canned vegetables at ppb levels.

Canned vegetables appear to be a possible exposure pathway for hazardous disinfection by-products due to the use of sanitizers and treated water by the canning industry in the preparation of these foods. This work reports on two static headspace–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry methods for the simultaneous determination of 10 trihalomethanes (THMs) and 13 haloacetic acids (HAAs) in both solid and liquid phases of the canned vegetables. Both methods carry out the whole process (including the leaching of target analytes from the vegetable), derivatization of HAAs and volatilization of THMs and HAA esters, in a single step within a static headspace unit. The methods proposed provide an efficient and simple tool for the determination of regulated disinfection by-products in canned vegetables. Average limits of detection for THMs and HAAs were 0.19 and 0.45 μg/kg, respectively, in the solid phase of canned vegetables, and 0.05 and 0.09 μg/L, respectively, in the liquid phase. Satisfactory recoveries (90–99%) and precision, calculated as relative standard deviations (RSD ≤ 10%), were obtained in both phases of canned vegetables. The methods proposed were applied for the analysis of frequently-used canned vegetables and confirmed the presence of up to 3 THMs and 5 HAAs at microgram per kilogram or liter levels in both phases of the samples.