Development of an Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method for the Analysis of Perfluorinated Compounds in Fish and Fatty Food

This paper reports the development of a method for the quantitative analysis of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), including C-6-C-14 perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and C-4-Cu-12 perfluorinated sulfonates (PFSAs), in fish and fatty foods by ultraperforrnance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) in which the UPLC was equipped a PFC Analysis Kit to eliminate background contamination. Rapid baseline separation was achieved for 17 PFCs within 12 min, and PFCs were well-resolved from potential interferences from taurodeoxycholic acid and branched isomers of PFCs. The method was validated according to Commission Regulation 2002/657/EC of the European Commission with matrices including salmon, beef, egg, and butter. Average spiked recoveries, measured at concentration levels of 0.02 (method limit of quantification (MLOQ)), 0.2, and 2 mu g/kg, were in the range of 68-117% with relative standard deviations below 20%. Matrix effects were evaluated and found to be correctable by internal standardization, especially for short- and long-chained PFCs. Trueness was verified against two certified reference materials. The method has also been successfully applied to the analysis of more than 200 food samples of a risk assessment study.