INCREASING PRECISION AND SENSITIVITY IN DETECTING PFAS POLLUTANTS IN FOOD

A research conducted by the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Teramo, Italy, has defined a new method for determining the presence of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in food, particularly in eggs. PFASs belong to the class of emerging persistent organic contaminants, for which European Commission has recently introduced a regulation that includes limits for some foods in order to ensure consumer protection. Since PFASs are used in many industrial, consumer, and health care products, they can enter in the environment and therefore contaminate the food chain. Their detection in food is of particular importance considering that these substances can have negative effects on human health with alterations in the liver, thyroid, immune and reproductive systems, and even fetal development problems.

"Due to the potential harmful effects - says Manuela Leva, researcher of the National Reference Laboratory for Alkylated Persistent Organic Pollutants in Feed and Food and corresponding author of the study published in the scientific journal Food Chemistry - the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) had already indicated the need to detect PFASs with the highest possible sensitivity before a specific law could regulate their limits. With this goal in mind, we developed a method that allows us to determine the presence of 18 different molecules belonging to this category, including the four PFASs considered the most harmful, through high-resolution liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. We then validated and used this method to analyze 132 samples of chicken eggs from both organic and conventional farms".

The results of the study show an interesting observation: there are no significant differences between organic and conventional eggs sold in Italy "And this - the researcher emphasizes - seems to be a relevant aspect, as it shows that both organic and conventional eggs in Italy generally have low levels of PFAS contamination. This provides the consumer with greater safety regarding the quality of the eggs they purchase."

"Thanks to these innovative analyses - continues Leva - we were also able to extrapolate the contribution that eggs make to the diet with respect to exposure to these contaminants. As expected, the most exposed are children, due to their lower body weight. Children, in fact, consume a greater amount of food in proportion to their body weight to meet their nutritional needs. This means that proportionally they consume a higher amount of PFASs compared to adults."

In order to evaluate an overall exposure of people to contaminants, this new method could be used to analyze other foods and other emerging contaminants in the same food category. "This new method for detecting PFASs in food – concludes the author - will contribute to public health by providing information on the level of exposure of the Italian population. And it could monitor the presence of PFASs in food, supporting appropriate actions to reduce exposure. In other words, we see this research as a step forward in ensuring the safety and quality of the food we consume, protecting population health".

A NEW METHOD FOR DETERMINING PFASS BY UHPLC-HRMS (Q-ORBITRAP): APPLICATION TO PFAS ANALYSIS OF ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL EGGS SOLD IN ITALY

Chiumiento, F., Bellocci, M., Ceci, R., D'Antonio, S., De Benedictis, A., Leva, M., Pirito, L., Rosato, R., Scarpone, R., Scortichini, G. and Tammaro, G., 2023. A new method for determining PFASs by UHPLC-HRMS (Q-Orbitrap): Application to PFAS analysis of organic and conventional eggs sold in Italy. FoodChemistry, 401, p.134135.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.134135