Author(s)

Eman Wajeh Ammen^1,2, Raghad Al-Salhi^1*

¹Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Al-Mustansiriyah, Baghdad, Iraq.
²Directorate of Materials Research, Ministry of Science and Technology, Baghdad, Iraq.

The preservatives used in food products are strictly monitored and regulated. The present study aims to imply a sensitive and reliable analytical method to quantify two classes of preservatives (i.e. carboxylic acid and phenolic compounds) in food by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), aimed at monitoring the products available within the local stores. Target analytes were derivatized via aqueous-phase isobutyl chloroformate-mediated reaction followed by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) method. The quantity and quality determination of the studied samples were assured by performing FASST approach in a single run GC-MS analysis. The combination of standard addition method with sample dilution compensated the effect of sample matrix on the quantitative determination of the tested preservatives in the examined samples. The concentrations of sorbic acid (SA) were 210 μg/mL and 1000 μg/mL in soft drink and sauces samples, respectively. On the other hand, sodium benzoate (226 μg/mL) was only found in soft drink, whereas, no parabens were detected in any samples collected from the local stores.

Food, Preservatives, GC-MS, FASST Acquisition, Chloroformate Derivatization, DLLME

Ammen, E. and Al-Salhi, R. (2017) An Application of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) Fast Automated Scan/SIM Type (FASST) in Determining the Preservative Levels in Foods. American Journal of Analytical Chemistry, 8, 307-316. doi: 10.4236/ajac.2017.85023.