PFOS and PFOA in cereals and fish: Development and validation of a high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method

- 161/2010/EU recommends detecting PCFs by a method that generates reliable results.
- We developed a HPLC method for detecting PFOS and PFOA in fish and cereals.
- The method has shown good sensitivity, recovery and selectivity.
- Our method can be applied for routine inspections of PFOS and PFOA in fish and cereals.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are environmental contaminants belonging to a chemical group known as perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), which are very persistent in the environment. PFASs are potential reproductive and developmental toxicants and are considered to be endocrine disrupters. These compounds have been found with greater frequency in fish and other seafood compared to other food groups. In fact, aquatic ecosystems represent the final reservoir for PFASs due to their high affinity for sedimentary and living organic matter. Recommendation161/2010/EU stated that the Member States should carry out analysis of perfluoroalkylated substances in order to detect the presence of PFOS and PFOA by making use of an analytical method that has been proven to generate reliable results. The LC-MS/MS method described here has been developed for detecting PFOS and PFOA in fish and cereals. Validation of this method resulted in limits of quantification (LOQs) varying from 0.50 μg/kg for PFOA to 0.70 μg/kg for PFOS, fulfilling recoveries (95-109%), and showing a good linearity (R2 = 0.99). Precision varied from 4.43% to 8.97% of repeatability for PFOA and from 6.30% to 12.33% of repeatability for PFOS.