Environmentally friendly procedure based on VA-MSPD for the determination of booster biocides in fish tissue

- Alternative solid supports were evaluated in the MSPD dispersion step.
- A biodegradable solvent was proposed as extraction solvent.
- The method was employed to muscle samples of different species of fish.
- An alternative method to control booster biocide contamination in fish.

Booster biocides have been widely applied to ships and other submerged structures. These compounds can be released into the marine environment as the result of vessel hull leaching and may remain in different environmental compartments. This study aimed at introducing an environmentally friendly procedure for the extraction of irgarol and diuron from fish samples by vortex-assisted matrix solid phase dispersion (VA-MSPD) with detection by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Different types of solid supports and solvents were evaluated. The best results were found when 0.5 g mussel shell, 0.5 g sodium sulfate and 5 mL ethanol were used. Analytical recoveries ranged from 81 to 110%, with RSD below 10%, whereas the matrix effect was between −17 and 1% (for all samples under study). LOQ values of irgarol and diuron were 5 and 50 ng g−1, respectively. The method under investigation proved to be a promising alternative to controlling contamination of fish by booster biocides, with low consumption of biodegradable reagents.