Abstract:

A method for simultaneous determination of 24 phthalate acid esters (PAEs) in cereals and root vegetables
was developed. Samples were extracted by n-hexane/distilled water or n-hexane/acetone/distilled water. The collected
supernatants were vacuum-concentrated to dryness and re-dissolved in n-hexane. PAEs were measured by gas
chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) using internal standard method. The correlation coefficients (r) of 24 PAEs
were over 0.999 with detection limits between 0.001 mg/kg and 0.1 mg/kg. The average recoveries of 24 PAEs in cereals
and root vegetables varied from 78.7% to 113.2%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) between 0.4% and 14.4%. The
migration amount of PAEs plasticizers in cereals and root vegetables was investigated by this method, diethyl phthalate,
di-n-butyl phthalate, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate and di-iso-nonyl phthalate were found in some commercial samples. This
method is well suitable for the analysis of PAEs in cereals and root vegetables.

Key words: phthalate acid esters, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), cereal, root vegetables