Determination of acrylamide in commercial baby foods by LC-QqQ-MS/MS: a simple method for routine analyses

Abstract

Abstract A liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the analysis of acrylamide in baby foods. Sample preparation involves a simple acidified aqueous acetonitrile extraction (acetonitrile:water:formic acid, 69/30/1, v/v/v) in combination with dispersive solid phase extraction (d-SPE) using alumina as sorbent. Sufficient linearity (range 20–250 µg kg− 1) in matrix-matched and solvent calibrations, were obtained. The recovery rates for acrylamide ranged from 100 to 108% with coefficients of variation below 10%, under repeatability and reproducibility conditions (within-laboratory). The obtained limit of quantification (20 µg kg− 1) is in accordance with the value set by the European Union (EU) for the method of acrylamide analysis in baby foods. The fitness for purpose of the developed method was demonstrated by analyzing 50 ready-to-eat baby foods available in the Brazilian market. Acrylamide was detected in 13% of samples composed mainly of fruits, whereas it was detected in approximately 37% of baby food composed of meat and/or vegetables. Furthermore, in 2 samples, the detected levels are above the maximum reference value established by the EU (40 µg kg− 1). The study demonstrates that this method can be used for acrylamide detection in routine analysis.