Extraction of benzo[a]pyrene from mussel tissue by accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and determination by GPC and HPLC

During the last three decades contamination of food by traces of toxic substances has been the subject of intensive research in food toxicology. Several classes of compound of different origin have been detected in food and beverages. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) have attracted particular attention, because of their mutagenic and cancerogenic properties. PAH in food are only a part of the general problem of PAH pollution in the environment. The numerous types of PAH - approximately 100 have been isolated and identified in food and in the environment - are a challenge to modern analytical techniques. Chromatographic procedures including gas, liquid, and thin-layer chromatography have been used to isolate these substances from contaminated samples. Because of the complexity of food matrices, the presence of substances that interfere with the extraction process or with the separation and identification of the PAH might necessitate additional clean-up of extracts before analysis. This paper describes the extraction of benzo[a]pyrene from mussel tissue by accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), clean-up by gel-permeation chromatography (GPC), and determination by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection.