HPLC-MS/MS Determination of Perfluoroalkane Sulfonates in Food Contact Materials

An analytic method using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS) was developed for the determination of 4 perfluoroalkane sulfonates in food contact materials.Samples were extracted using methanol with ultrasonic assistance.The chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 column using a mixture of methanol and a 5 mmol/L ammonium acetate aqueous solution as elution solvent for gradient elution.A 13C-labelled PFOS standard was used for the quantification of perfluoroalkane sulfonates.The developed method displayed a limit of detection of 0.5μg/kg and a linear range of 0.5-10μg/kg.Mean recoveries(6 replicates) for 4 perfluoroalkane sulfonates in a negative sample spiked at the levels of 1.0,2.0μg/kg and 3.0μg/kg ranged from 91.1% to 112.8 %.This method proved to be an accurate and rapid method and was successfully used to detect 16 commercial food contact materials.