A rapid supercritical fluid extraction method for the detection of 2-alkylcyclobutanones in gamma-irradiated beef and chicken

2-alkylcyclobutanones have been successfully used as chemical markers for irradiated foods. Unfortunately most sample preparation, and isolation methods for these markers from their food matrices involve a long and very tedious clean-lip regimen prior to analysis. A simple and rapid method for the isolation of these markers using carbon dioxide as a supercritical fluid is described for beef and chicken samples irradiated up to 8 kGy. Significant levels of both 2-dodecylcycloburanone (2-DCB) and 2-tetradecylcyclobutanone (2-TCB) were extracted from all irradiated samples using carbon dioxide as a supercritical fluid, the method is proposed as an alternative to the florisil chromatography method currently in use. (C) 1998 Academic Press.