Determination of phthalate esters in non-alcoholic beverages by GC-MS and optimization of the extraction conditions

A quantificational method for 7 phthalate esters in non-alcoholic beverages was developed. Dimethyl phthalate, di-ethyl phthalate, di-propyl phthalate (DPP), di-butyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate, di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and di-octyl phthalate (DOP) were extracted from non-alcoholic beverages with the optimized solid-phase extraction method, and quantification was achieved by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with isotope internal standard of d(4)-di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP-d(4)). The inter-day method repeatability (RSD) was 8-13 %, whereas the intra-day method repeatability (RSD) was 9-15 %. The mean spiking recoveries were 84-105 %. A wide variety of phthalate concentrations was observed in 48 non-alcoholic beverages. DEHP was the most abundant phthalate compound followed by DBP, DPP, and DOP. DEHP was found in sport drinks (0.015-0.098 mg L-1), tea (0.016-0.123 mg L-1), coffee (0.028-0.159 mg L-1), and fruit juices (0.022-0.126 mg L-1).