Determinação multiclasse de contaminantes em suplemento alimentar à base de óleo de peixe por GC-MS/MS

Abstract

In recent years, the demand for fish oil-based supplements has increased significantly, which can be mainly attributed to the high concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids present in fish, which are associated with numerous health benefits. However, despite these benefits, these supplements are important pathways for transferring contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and pesticides to humans. Considering these aspects, the quality control becomes even more important through the development of methods for its monitoring. Considering the toxicity of these compounds, there is a growing interest regarding their determination. Therefore, the aim of this work was to develop and validate a sample preparation method for the extraction of PAHs and pesticides in fish oil-based supplements. The results demonstrated that the extraction using 2.5 g of sample, 10 mL of the acetonitrile/ethyl acetate solution (50/50, v:v) at low temperatures (-25 to -18ºC) and clean up step using Captiva EMR (enhanced matrix removal of lipids) sorbent proved to be the most suitable strategy for the extraction of PAH and pesticides in fish oil based supplements. The validated method demonstrated accuracy (70-120%) and good precision, with relative standard deviation (RSD) values ranging from 1 to 32% and limit of quantification (LOQ) values in the range of 2 to 10 µg kg-1 for 86 compounds. The method was applied to 16 samples of supplements based on fish oil, and residues of atrazine, pyridaben and permethrin were found in one of the analyzed samples.