Exploration of emerging environmental pollutants 6PPD and 6PPDQ in honey and fish samples

N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) and N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenyl-enediamine-quinone (6PPDQ) can pose a threat to human health through the food chain because of their ubiquitous presence in the environment and the biotoxicity on organisms. In this work, we developed modified QuEChERS methods coupled with high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/ MS-MS) to explore whether 6PPD and 6PPDQ are present in fish and honey. The proposed methods showed acceptable limits of quantification (0.00043-0.001 mg/kg), linearity (R-2 > 0.99), recovery (73.3%-108.3%), matrix effect (70.4%-95.6%) and repeatability (RSD < 8.4%). Accordingly, 6PPD and 6PPDQ have been discovered in snakehead, weever and Spanish mackerel fish, while none of which have been detected in the honey samples. The results of our work contributed to increasing public attention to 6PPD and 6PPDQ in agricultural products and provided important reference for the analysis of them.

Automated summary

In this study, modified QuEChERS methods coupled with HPLC/MS-MS were used to detect the presence of 6PPD and 6PPDQ in fish and honey. The results showed that these compounds were present in certain fish species, but not in honey samples.