Determination of 19 Fragrance Allergens in Paper Household Goods by Solid-Liquid Extraction-Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction-GC-MS

Abstract

Abstract Background Fragrance allergens (FAs) refer to these volatile or semi-volatile fragrance compounds that can induce sensitization, and they are widely used in household goods. Objective In this work, a method combining solid-liquid extraction (SLE) and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been developed and applied in the analysis of 19 FAs (including hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, esters, and phenols) in paper household goods. Method The samples (infant or personal paper hygiene products) were cut into small pieces and underwent SLE with methanol as solvent. The supernatant was taken, and ultrapure water, sodium chloride, and trichloromethane (extractant) were added, which was mixed with vortex. After centrifugation, the bottom chloroform layer was taken for GC-MS detection. Results Under optimized conditions, a good linearity was achieved (r ≥ 0.9985) in the range of 0.01–128.0 mg/kg with relative standard deviations lower than 15%. The method showed limits of detection (LODs) within the range of 0.96–12.0 µg/kg and recoveries from 70.6% to 128.9%, except furfuryl alcohol with low recoveries (53.8–64.6%). Twenty kinds of paper household goods samples were analyzed by this method; nine FAs were detected. The linalool detected in one sample was more than 10 mg/kg, and the contents of other analytes in this sample and all analytes in other samples were less than 10 mg/kg. Conclusions The performance evaluation of the method met the requirements of the analysis of trace components. The established method was successfully applied to the detection of FAs in paper household goods samples. The proposed method could provide a basis for the establishment of relevant detection standards in the future. Highlights The LODs were found between 0.96 and 12.0 µg/kg. A simple, economical, and sensitive method was established for the determination of 19 FAs in paper household goods.