Rapid determination method for 2-DCB in irradiated pork by ASE-Al2O3-GC-MS

2-Dodecylcyclobutanone (2-DCB) is validated as a marker for irradiated foodstuffs. However, the preparation methods for the marker compound involve time-consuming and tedious procedures prior to analysis. This paper describes a rapid method for the extraction and cleanup of 2-DCB in irradiated pork. The highly automated extraction procedure is based on accelerated solvent extraction combined with a purification step by Al2O3, which is added to the extraction cell. The overall extraction time is less than 20 min, and the volume of the solvent is 1.5 times that of the extraction cell (34 mL). The recovery of 2-DCB from pork samples for this method is higher than 75%. The method allows detecting pork irradiated at low doses (0.5 kGy). The proposed method is considered an alternative to the Soxhlet extraction and Florisil chromatography method currently in use.