Agarose-chitosan-C18 film micro-solid phase extraction combined with high performance liquid chromatography for the determination of phenanthrene and pyrene in chrysanthemum tea samples

- Agarose-chitosan-C18 film micro-solid phase extraction was developed.
- Agr-Ch-C18-μSPE employed low-cost and eco-friendly agarose and chitosan as sorbent.
- It was used for the determination of phenanthrene and pyrene in chrysanthemum tea.
- Results showed that Agr-Ch-C18-μSPE achieved high analyte recoveries.
- It proved a good sample preparation for the analysis of PAH in tea samples.

Agarose-chitosan-immobilized octadecylsilyl-silica (C18) film micro-solid phase extraction (μSPE) was developed and applied for the determination of phenanthrene (PHE) and pyrene (PYR) in chrysanthemum tea samples using high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV). The film of blended agarose and chitosan allows good dispersion of C18, prevents the leaching of C18 during application and enhances the film mechanical stability. Important μSPE parameters were optimized including amount of sorbent loading, extraction time, desorption solvent and desorption time. The matrix match calibration curves showed good linearity (r ⩾ 0.994) over a concentration range of 1-500 ppb. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method showed good limits of detection (0.549-0.673 ppb), good analyte recoveries (100.8-105.99%) and good reproducibilities (RSDs ⩽ 13.53%, n = 3) with preconcentration factors of 4 and 72 for PHE and PYR, respectively.