Headspace solid-phase microextraction and on-fiber derivatization for the determination of 3-/2-MCPDE and GE in breast milk and infant formula by gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry
Shihuan Li, Jinhui Li, Senwei Feng, Linlin Bian, Zhuoting Liu, Yunfang Ping, Xu Wang, Ann Van Schepdael
Abstract
The presence of fatty acid esters of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPDE), 2-monochloropropane-1,3-diol (2-MCPDE) and glycidyl (GE) in foods is a potential concern due to their toxicity, especially for infants. This study proposed a rapid, sensitive and environmentally friendly method for simultaneous determination of the 3-/2-MCPDE and GE in breast milk and infant formula using headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and on-fiber derivatization combined with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The approach proved high sensitivity with detection limits of 0.10 μg/L and 0.15 μg/kg for MCPDEs in breast milk and infant formula, respectively. Mean recoveries were obtained ranging from 79.9 to 111.2% for breast milk and from 82.1 to 106.7% for infant formula, with relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 9.5%. According to the levels of 3-MCPDE and GE determined in 30 breast milk and 23 infant formulas, the exposure to 3-MCPDE and GE may pose a potential health risk for infants from birth to <12 months fed by breast milk and infants from birth to 6 months fed by infant formula.