Rapid determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tea infusion samples by high-performance liquid chromatography and fluorimetric detection based on solid-phase extraction.

This paper describes a method for the determination of PAHs in black, green and decaffeinated tea infusion samples. The method is based on the solid phase extraction of the PAHs using Sep-Pak vac tC-18 cartridges. The PAHs are then eluted from the cartridges with dichloromethane. Quantification and detection are carried out by HPLC with a fluorimetric detector using a program of excitation and emission wavelength pairs. Recoveries at concentration levels in the range 190-1790 ng l-1 were higher than 65% for all PAHs except dibenz[a,h]anthracene, for which it was around 54%. The mean content of PAHs was in the range 28.7-112 ng l-1 in the tea infusions, with relative standard deviations between 2 and 18% (n = 4).