Rapid determination of furan in heated foodstuffs by isotope dilution solid phase micro-extraction-gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS)

Abstract

An analytical method is reported to determine trace amounts of furan in several different commercial foodstuffs that are subjected to thermal treatment. The SPME-GC-MS method is rapid and robust, and entails the following steps: addition of deuterated furan to the sample, sodium chloride-assisted extraction into the headspace, cryofocussing, and finally fibre desorption and GC-MS analysis. Furan is quantified by the use of an external calibration curve, achieving a decision limit (CCα) and detection capability (CCβ) of 17 pg and 43 pg, respectively, as absolute furan concentration in a 10 ml headspace vial. The method is applicable to a wide variety of foods, including fruits juices, baby foods in jars, canned foods, pet food, coffee and coffee substitutes. Typical amounts of furan found in selected foodstuffs range from about 1 µg kg⁻¹ (fruit juice) to 110 µg kg⁻¹ (baby food containing cooked vegetables). In-house validation data show good precision and accuracy of the method, with a typical repeatability of between 5 and 16% in different food matrices, and trueness determined in orange juice and coffee as 87 and 93%, respectively. Moreover, the measurement uncertainty has been evaluated for two matrices (fruit juice and coffee). Studies on short-term stability of furan in certain foods are also presented, and show that the furan content decreases in food while heating for preparation or reconstitution.