A sensitive solid-phase microextraction/gas chromatography-based procedure for determining pentachlorophenol in food.

A new method for the determination of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in different foods was developed using capillary gas chromatography (GC) and microwave induced-plasma atomic emission spectrometry (MIP-AED). The analyte is first derivatized and then extracted and pre-concentrated by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in headspace (HS) mode. A clear matrix effect was found for the different samples investigated, so that standard addition was required for quantification. Detection limits of 0.03-6.0 ng g(-1) were obtained, depending on the sample analysed. The method gave recoveries of 81-109% from spiked samples. Concentration levels of PCP ranged from 0.3 to 1.5 ng g(-1) were found in honey, but no PCP was detected in other samples.