Determination of Benzo(α)pyrene in Infant Formula Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography and Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction

Background: Benzo(α)pyrene (BaP) is one of the most familiar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to evaluate food safety and quality and can be present in infant formulas An analytical method for the extraction and quantification of BaP in infant formula milk has been established by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) followed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector.

Methods: BaP was first extracted from matrices of infant formula milk via acetonitrile and then DLLME was used for further purification and preconcentration of target analyte.

Results: Under the optimum extraction conditions, 150 µL of dichloromethane as extraction solvent, 3 mL acetonitrile as disperser and cleaner solvent and 1 mL volume sample, the accuracy of the method was between 89-97%. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.12 and 0.35 ng/ml, respectively. There was a linear relation (R2=0.998) between chromatographic peak area and concentrations in the range of 0.5 to 15 ng/mL.

Conclusion: The proposed method is applicable to the quantification of BaP in infant formula milk with acceptable accuracy and precision.