A method for the determination of volatile N-nitrosamines in food by HS-SPME-GC-TEA

A method for the determination of volatile nitrosamines in sausages was developed using headspace sampling by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography with thermal energy analyzer detection (HS-SPME-GC-TEA). Two fused silica fibers, one coated with polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene (PDMS-DVB) and another with poliacrylate (PA) were evaluated. A factorial fractional design was employed in order to evaluate the influence of the equilibrium time, ionic strength, extraction time and temperature for the extraction of N-nitrosodimethylamine, N-nitrosodiethylamine, N-nitrosopiperidine and N-nitrosopyrrolidine in sausages. The method was validated and applied for the determination of nitrosamines in sausages. The described method is simple, rapid, with adequate accuracy, selectivity, sensitivity and precision. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.