Comparison of Analytical Methods for the Quantification of PFAS in Food Contact Material

PorSaVanna Cano

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) analysis has become crucial due to their omnipresence from plentiful sources, their persistence, and their potential health risks. Accurate determination of the sources and potential exposure from PFAS would require available standards for all produced PFAS as well as their precursors and degradation products.

Additionally, for many substances there is no information about their structure, partially due to many precursors and unknown intermediate products, and partially because they are patented by the companies that produce them.

As of today, numerous techniques have been either developed or modified for the analysis of PFAS, but these methods exhibit significant variations in their capacity to provide specific information.

We analyzed paper material consisting of fresh fiber and secondary materials intended to produce food packaging for the presence of PFAS. The samples were extracted and analyzed for 23 different PFAS substances using the targeted approach with LC tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This analytical technique detects specific, easily ionizable PFAS with high sensitivity. However, one drawback of this approach is that it allows the identification of less than 1% of the PFAS known today. For this reason, we used combustion ion chromatography (CIC) to determine the content of extractable organic fluorine compounds (EOF) and compare it to the total fluorine content.

Thermal Desorption – Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) Analysis of PFAS Used in Food Contact Materials

PorSaVanna Cano

Growing concerns about the environment and health related to PFAS have led to an increasing interest in monitoring PFAS levels in FCMs as well as their migration into food. In this study, method development for the analysis of PFAS by thermal desorption – gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) was done.

Evaluation of Dispersive and Cartridge Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) Cleanups for Multiresidue Pesticides in QuEChERS Extracts of Finished Tobacco Using GCxGC-TOFMS

PorSaVanna Cano

We compared the efficacy of dSPE and cSPE cleanup methods for multiresidue pesticide analysis of QuEChERS extracts of finished tobacco products using GCxGC-TOFMS. Cleanup with dSPE tubes containing 7.5 mg of GCB and 25 mg of PSA produced better results than other methods, with average recoveries of 92% and 91% for 500 ppb and 50 ppb fortifications respectively.

Comparing Pesticide Residues in Amish and Commercially Grown Strawberries and Spinach Using QuEChERS, Various dSPE Sorbents, and GC-TOFMS

PorSaVanna Cano

QuEChERS extraction, dSPE cleanup, and GC-TOFMS analysis were used to assess pesticide residue levels in strawberry and spinach from both commercial and Amish growers. Various dSPE sorbent products were compared to determine which were most effective.

Upgrade to a Faster D2887 Analysis with a GC Accelerator Kit

Upgrade to a Faster D2887 Analysis with a GC Accelerator Kit

PorSaVanna Cano

The results of a simulated distillation analysis are vitally important to the operation of refineries globally. For the analysis of petroleum samples within the boiling point range from 55.5 ˚C to 538 ˚C, ASTM D2887 is a standard method that has been accepted and is used industry-wide. This application note will demonstrate how a creative use of the Restek GC Accelerator oven insert kit can permit analysts using Agilent 6890/7890 GCs with 100/120 V ovens to successfully migrate from D2887’s slower Procedure A conditions to the accelerated Procedure B conditions without new instrumentation or software, resulting in a 9-minute analysis time that meets all method requirements.

Quechers dSPE selection – which one is best?

PorSaVanna Cano

Method development for Quechers sample cleanup can be a complicated task. Not only does the analyst need to make sure their analytes of interest can be recovered, but the matrix interferences must be removed enough to make the quantitation possible and reliable. It makes sense that selecting the best dSPE products is highly dependent on…