Use of Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged & Safe (QuEChERS) and molecular imprinted polymer followed by gas chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry for the quantitative analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH4) in complex health supplements

Abstract A gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry sensitive and selective method based on a combination of QuEChERS and subsequent molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) technology was validated for the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in complex dry extracts of Eleutherococcus senticosus, Salvia officinalis, Camellia sinensis, Zingiber officinale, Uncaria tomentosa, Humulus lupulus, Pinus sylvestris L., Spirulina maxima, propolis and royal jelly. The method has been optimized using gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. An additional sample treatment of the dry extracts, based on the combined use of MIP-SPE and QuEChERS, was required because of the strong matrix effect observed related to interferences affecting analyte quantification. Estimation of the method detection limit and quantification limit was carried out for validation. The LOQs were 0.2 ng g-1 for benz[a]anthracene, 0.3 ng g-1 for benzo[a]pyrene and 0.4 ng g-1 for benzo[b]fluoranthene and chrysene; and the LODs were 0.07, 0.09 and 0.1 ng g-1 respectively. Recoveries were in the range of 88.5 % for B[b]F, to 114 % for B[a]A, and % RSD was