Isotope dilution gas chromatography with mass spectrometry for the analysis of 4-octyl phenol, 4-nonylphenol, and bisphenol A in vegetable oils

By the combination of solid-phase extraction as well as isotope dilution gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, a sensitive and reliable method for the determination of endocrine-disrupting chemicals including bisphenol A, 4-octylphenol, and 4-nonylphenol in vegetable oils was established. The application of a silica/N-(n-propyl)ethylenediamine mixed solid-phase extraction cartridge achieved relatively low matrix effects for bisphenol A, 4-octylphenol, and 4-nonylphenol in vegetable oils. Experiments were designed to evaluate the effects of derivatization, and the extraction parameters were optimized. The estimated limits of detection and quantification for bisphenol A, 4-octylphenol, and 4-nonylphenol were 0.83 and 2.5 μg/kg, respectively. In a spiked experiment in vegetable oils, the recovery of the added bisphenol A was 97.5-110.3%, recovery of the added 4-octylphenol was 64.4-87.4%, and that of 4-nonylphenol was 68.2-89.3%. This sensitive method was then applied to real vegetable oil samples from Zhejiang Province of China, and none of the target compounds were detected.