Analysis of benzo[<i>a</i>]pyrene in spiked fatty foods by second derivative synchronous spectrofluorimetry after microwave-assisted treatment of samples

A simple, rapid and inexpensive method has been developed for the determination of benzo[a]pyrene (B(a)P, a known carcinogen) in foods with a high fat content. In-house validation was carried out by checking B(a)P recovery +/- precision from those samples by a simple spiking procedure. The method involves extracting the fat from a freeze-dried product and the saponification of the B(a)P-containing lipid fraction assisted by microwave energy. After partitioning in hexane, and purification by passage through a silica cartridge, the B(a)P-containing hexane eluate is analysed by second derivative synchronous spectrofluorimetry. The method was found to have a recovery of 90 +/- 5%. The detection and quantification limits in food (0.05 and 0.12 microgram/kg, respectively) indicate that the B(a)P maximum that the European Union (EU) intends to set for foods (1 microgram/kg), can be monitored by this method.