LC-FLD analysis of 4 PAHs in olive oil samples using AZURA® GPC Cleanup System

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are environmental pollutants, characterized by their hazardous carcinogenic and mutagenic potential [1]. PAHs are ubiquitous compounds, since they can be found not only in all different environmental media (such as air, soil, and water), but also in various foods we encounter in our everyday life [2]. Humans are exposed to PAHs by various pathways. While for smokers the contribution from smoking may be significant, for non-smokers the major route of exposure is the consumption of food, so the dietary intake of PAHs poses the potential health hazards to the public. Food can be contaminated from environmental sources, industrial food processing and from certain home cooking practices. The presence of PAHs in vegetable oils is generally explained by the combination of many factors and processes including the drying process of the oil seeds (with the combustion of gases), contamination during solvent extraction, packaging material, soil burn [1]. Due to their demonstrated carcinogenic and mutagenic activity, they have been largely investigated. A great effort has been devoted to the improvement of the analytical method to determine such compounds in complex samples, such as food.