Evaluation of greener solvent options for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon extraction

Nikola Borjan; Milenko Babić; Damjan Gavrilović; Ognjen Krnjaja; Jasna Đinović‑Stojanović; Zoran Petrović; Saša Janković

doi:10.18485/meattech.2025.66.3.44

Nikola Borjan Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4067-3755
Milenko Babić Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6467-6757
Damjan Gavrilović Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3786-496X
Ognjen Krnjaja Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2242-0457
Jasna Đinović‑Stojanović Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4602-0835
Zoran Petrović Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2016-5681
Saša Janković Institute of Meat Hygiene and Technology, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5223-6993

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18485/meattech.2025.66.3.44

Keywords: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, liquid-liquid extraction, GC-MS/MS, green chemistry

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread environmental pollutants with known carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. In order to monitor their presence in complex food and environmental matrices, liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) was employed as a reliable sample preparation technique. To minimize environmental impact, green solvents are used as alternatives to more hazardous traditional solvents. Quantification and confirmation of 16 target PAHs were performed using gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), ensuring high sensitivity and selectivity. This study compared toluene and ethyl acetate as PAH extraction solvents in water samples at lower and higher concentrations (10 µg/L and 100 µg/L). Both solvents extracted similar amounts of the 16 target PAHs from water, although the AGREE tool favours ethyl acetate over toluene, due to the former’s environmental and safety benefits.