Levels Of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (Pfos) And Perfluorooctanoic Acid (Pfoa) In Home And Commercially Produced Poultry Eggs In Malaysia

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are the two major perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), widely used in industrial and consumer products pertaining to their unique water and grease repellent properties. The large industrial manufacture of these compounds had raised substantial concern on health effects, due to their persistence nature and potential toxicity. The bioaccumulative properties resulted in their accumulation in environmental matrices, human samples, as well as in food sources and food products. In human, food consumption was reportedly to be a significant source of exposure for both PFOS and PFOA. Hence, the primary objective of this study was to determine the level of PFOS and PFOA in the yolk of poultry eggs in Malaysia. A total of 47 egg yolk samples, consisting of chicken eggs (n=40), duck eggs (n=3) and quail eggs (n=4) were collected from various sources of areas in Malaysia. These samples are extracted by simple protein precipitation technique using acetonitrile. The analytical method was developed using LC-MS/MS and validated based on FDA’s Bioanalytical Method Validation to ensure the quality and reliability of the method. The analysis of the samples revealed that PFOS was quantitatively detected in six samples with the concentration range between 0.5 to 1.01 ng g-1. Among these, five samples are from home produced chicken eggs, and one sample was from a quail egg

Liquid Chromatographic Tandem Mass Spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) Determination of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) in the Yolk of Poultry Eggs in Malaysia

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are widely used in products, and are known for their water and grease repellent properties. The persistence nature and potential toxicity of these substances have raised substantial concerns about health effects. Regarding humans, food consumption has reportedly been a significant source of exposure for both compounds. Hence, this study was performed to develop and validate an analytical method for PFOS and PFOA in egg yolks using liquid chromatographic tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) followed by the determination of concentration of both compounds in the yolk of poultry eggs in Malaysia. A total of 47 poultry egg yolk samples were extracted by a simple protein precipitation technique using acetonitrile. The analytical method was developed using LC-MS/MS and validated based on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Bioanalytical Method Validation guidelines. The results revealed that PFOS was quantitatively detected in six samples, with the concentration range between 0.5 and 1.01 ng g−1. Among these, five samples were from home-produced chicken eggs, and one sample was from a quail egg. The levels of PFOA in all samples were below the quantifiable limit (<0.1 ng g−1). This indicated that the contamination of PFCs in poultry eggs were mostly attributed to the nature of free foraging animals, which had direct contact with the contaminants in soil and feed. In conclusion, a fast and robust analytical method for analyzing PFOS and PFOA in egg yolk samples using LC-MS/MS was successfully developed and validated. The presence of these emerging contaminants in this study signified widespread pollution in the environment