Abstract: Based on the electrochemical redox properties of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a rapid electrochemical method for the determination of BaP in barbecued foods was established. The optimum conditions for the method were established as follows: using acetonitrile-water (1:3, V/V) as solvent, LiClO4 concentration (as electrolyte) 0.15 mol/L, sulfuric acid concentration 0.1 mol/L, and enrichment time 10 min, where the response current linearly increased with increasing BaP concentration in the range of 0–100 nmol/L. The limit of detection (LOD) of the proposed method was 0.187 nmol/L (RSN = 3). Excellent stability and reproducibility of the method were observed. The recovery of the analyte added to shish kebab was in the range of 96.67%–101.56%. The results were in agreement with those obtained by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Consequently, the electrochemical method was useful for rapid determination of BaP in barbecued foods.

Key words: benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), electrochemical analysis method, food safety, barbecued food