Acetic acid liquid-liquid extraction and UHPLC-DAD detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in toasted and fried foods

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a large class of organic compounds containing two or more fused aromatic rings. They have very low water solubility and are highly lipophilic. Acetic acid is a polar protic solvent that is often used in reactions involving carbocation intermediates. In this study, acetic acid, coupled with other organic solvents, was optimized and used for the extraction of eleven PAHs in two types of foods: toasted and fried. The UHPLC- -DAD method, coupled with a C18 column, was validated and applied to analyze eleven PAHs in the food samples. The LOD and LOQ values obtained ranged from 0.0049 to 0.373 ?g L-1. The recoveries of the PAHs ranged from 47.3 to 119.7 %. The analysis results show that light PAHs were commonly found in both types of food. Some fried foods are highly carcinogenic due to the presence of BaP and Group 2B PAHs. Generally, toasted foods are safe to consume.