New method for benzo[a]pyrene analysis in plant material using subcritical water extraction

• Ecologically friendly method for benzo[a]pyrene extraction from plant was developed.
• The use of subcritical water allows reducing volume and extraction time in solvents.
• More than 98% of benzo[a]pyrene was recovered from plants using the suggested method.

A new method for benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) analyses in plant material was developed using subcritical water extraction followed by HPLC analyses of the extracts. BaP extraction efficiency was determined by spiking grass vegetation collected from a preserve in Rostov Oblast (Russia). BaP recovery was optimal with a 30-min extraction by water in a special steel cartridge at 250 °C and 100 atm. More than 98% of the BaP was recovered from the plant material using subcritical water extraction, compared to 72% recovery by saponification of the sample with conventional hexane extraction. Other advantages of subcritical water extraction are the use of water as an environmentally friendly solvent instead of large volumes of organic solvents as well as a shorter analysis time.