Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic organic molecules found at significant concentrations in the food chain with negative health effects for humans and wildlife. POPs’ semi-volatility and resistance to environmental degradation disperse them throughout the environment, contaminating food, and bioaccumulating in humans, animals and nature. Some food may be compromised by POPs and less desirable for human consumption.  Safe levels are a debated concept and some laws established limits in food with statutes and recommendations across multiple federal and state agencies. The existence in food of POPs necessitates a robust analytical method that enables an accurate quantification of  simultaneous POPs in foods. Stir-bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) in combination with gas chromatography mass spectrometry and isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS-GC/MS) is utilized to determine the concentration of POPs in a variety of commercially available produce. SBSE is ideal for isolating trace amounts of organic compounds and is a thermal desorption method that does not use solvents, making SBSE a greener method than previous extraction methods that required solvents and produced large quantities of waste during analysis. POPs can be separated by means of volatility and chromatography, making IDMS-GC/MS an ideal methodology for analysis. The developed method is sensitive and has a optimally low limit of detection and quantification. The testing of foods via this methodology proves the validation a of labeling as organic and provide evidence for inaccurate labeling.

Determination of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in food

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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