A method using high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) was developed for the simultaneous determination of 13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soybean oils. The sample preparation includes liquid-liquid extraction with dimethylformamide-water (9:1, v/v) followed by a clean-up and concentration step with C-18 SPE cartridges. The method showed good recoveries for most of the PAHs studied with values between 71 and 115%. The calibration curves were linear over the range tested (R² > 0.999). Detection and quantification limits varied between 0.02-0.76 µg kg-1 and 0.03-0.96 µg kg-1, respectively. The analytical procedure was successfully applied to evaluate the contamination of most consumed brands of soybean oils commercially available in the Brazilian market. The presence of PAHs was confirmed in all samples analyzed with mean values ranging from 0.20 to 5.93 µg kg-1.
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); soybean oils; HPLC-fluorescence; organic contaminants; food analysis
