Recent studies have shown that headspace and purge and trap methods have limitations when used to determine VOCs in foods, including matrix effects and artifact formation from thermal decomposition.  EPA method 8261 liberates VOCs from the sample matrix by using vacuum distillation at room temperature.  The method was modified and validated for the determination of furan, chloroform, benzene, trichloroethene, toluene, and sytrene in infant formula, canned tuna, peanut butter, and an orange beverage.  Validation studies showed that the limits of quantitation ranged from 0.05 ng/g toluene to 0.29 ng/g chloroform in infant formula and 0.07 ng/g chloroform to 3.0 ng/g toluene in peanut butter.  Fortified recoveries were determined at one, two, and four times the lowest calibration level.  Percent recoveries ranged from 73 to 196 at the lowest fortification level and 91 to 129 at the highest fortification level.

Determination of volatile organic compounds in food by vacuum distillation sampling and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

245th National Meeting (2013)

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