App Note: High-Sensitivity PFAS Determination in Seafood

Concerns about PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) - the infamous 'forever chemicals' - lurking in our seafood are rising. Detecting these persistent compounds accurately at trace levels is a major challenge. Discover how a powerful collaboration delivers a fully automated, high-sensitivity workflow using the PAL System and Agilent LC/MS technology to meet and exceed global safety standards, ensuring safer seafood for everyone. Hooked? Read on!

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Hagen Gegner

Scientific Communications Specialist

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A picture with a text and shrimp. The text says: Detecting low levels of PFAS in complex seafood matrices is analytically challenging. Advanced, automated workflows combining sensitive extraction techniques like µSPE with LC/MS provide the precision and reliability needed to accurately quantify these compounds and ensure food safety compliance.

An Automated Workflow for Seafood PFAS Analysis

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals found in many products, known for their resistance to breaking down. Unfortunately, this means they can accumulate in the environment, particularly in aquatic ecosystems, finding their way into seafood like fish and shellfish. Detecting these compounds in complex samples like seafood requires highly sensitive methods. Traditional analysis, often involving manual QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) extraction and SPE (Solid Phase Extraction) cleanup, can be laborious and prone to variability.

This new Application Note, "High-Sensitivity PFAS Determination in Seafood: An Automated Triple Quadrupole LC/MS Workflow that Meets Regulatory Requirements," details a collaborative effort showcasing a fully automated solution. Developed using data from Agilent Technologies and featuring the PAL RTC autosampler, the method automates QuEChERS extraction and uses an innovative µSPE (Micro Solid Phase Extraction) cleanup coupled with an Agilent Triple Quadrupole LC/MS (Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry) system. This approach streamlines the process, reduces potential errors, and significantly boosts efficiency.

Learn more about PFAS Watch the PFAS Webinar

A picture showing shrimp at the side combined with the instrumental setup. Utilizing a PAL RTC autosampler and Agilent triple quadrupole LC/MS system (LC/TQ), the method automates calibration, QuEChERS extraction, and µSPE clean-up

Casting a Wide Net: High Sensitivity Meets Global Regulations

The workflow successfully quantified a comprehensive list of 73 different PFAS compounds in seafood samples. It demonstrated exceptional sensitivity, achieving Method Detection Limits (MDLs) – the smallest amount reliably detectable – at or below 10 nanograms per kilogram (ng/kg, or parts per trillion) for 28 PFAS compounds investigated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Furthermore, the validated Limits of Quantitation (LOQs) – the smallest amount reliably measured – were impressive, hitting ≤0.3 micrograms per kilogram (µg/kg, or parts per billion) for 30 PFAS, including the four key compounds often targeted by regulations (PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, PFHxS). This performance meets or even surpasses the stringent requirements set by global authorities like the FDA, European Union (EU), the EU Reference Laboratory for Persistent Organic Pollutants (EURL POPs), and AOAC International.