Fast and Accurate Determination of Arsenobetaine (AsB) in Fish Tissues Using HPLC-ICP-MS Application

A high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method was developed for the fast and accurate analysis of arsenobetaine in fish samples extracted by accelerated solvent extraction. The combined extraction and analysis approach was validated using certified reference materials for arsenobetaine in fish and during a European intercomparison exercise with a blind sample. Up to six species of arsenic can be separated and quantified in the extracts within a 10-minisocratic elution. The method was optimized so as to minimize time-consuming sample preparation steps and to allow for automated extraction and analysis of large sample batches. A comparison of standard addition and external calibration showed no significant difference in the results obtained, which indicates that the liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method is not influenced by severe matrix effects. The extraction procedure could process up to 24 samples in an automated manner while the robustness of the developed high performance liquid chromatographyinductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry approach is highlighted by the capability to run more than 50 injections per sequence which equates to a total run-time of more than 12 hours. The method can therefore be used to rapidly and accurately assess the proportion of nontoxic arsenobetaine in fish samples with high total arsenic content during toxicological screening studies. Fast and Accurate Determination of Arsenobetaine (AsB) in Fish Tissues Using HPLC-ICP-MS