Experimental Design and Multiple Response Optimization for the Extraction and Quantitation of Thirty-Four Priority Organic Micropollutants in Tomatoes through the QuEChERS Approach

The chemical contamination in fruit and vegetables represents a challenging analytical issue, with tomatoes deserving to be investigated as they are fundamental components of the Mediterranean diet. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) nitro-PAHs is serious concern, due particulate deposition uptake from contaminated soils water. However, time-consuming, non-simultaneous and/or non-eco-friendly extraction procedures typically used investigate organic tomatoes, that have not yet been studied. Based on these premises, this work reports development QuEChERS-based approach, coupled gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, for simultaneous determination 16 PAHs, 14 PCBs 4 three tomato cultivars. effect dichloromethane, cyclohexane acetone, well four clean-up phases were studied through advanced combination full factorial experimental design multiple response optimization approaches. final protocol, based followed by double purification step primary secondary amine octadecyl silica sulfuric acid oxidation, led 60–120% recoveries (RSD% < 15%). Good repeatability (inter-day precision <15%) negligible matrix (<16%) confirmed protocol was applied analysis real samples purchased local market.