Determination of ethylene dibromide in foods and grains by high resolution capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detection

Area of Science:

• Food Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Ethylene dibromide (EDB) is a fumigant used on food products.
• Assessing EDB levels in food is crucial for consumer safety.
• Previous methods for EDB detection may lack sensitivity or specificity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a sensitive method for determining EDB levels in food samples.
• To investigate the presence of EDB in imported wheat and its reduction during cookie processing.

Main Methods:

• Gas chromatography with a high-resolution capillary column and electron capture detector was employed.
• EDB was extracted from food matrices using steam distillation with n-hexane.
• Method validation included determining detection limits (0.5 ppb) and recoveries (66.1-99.6%).

Main Results:

• EDB was detected in 3 out of 40 imported wheat samples at concentrations ranging from 0.74-1.70 ppb.
• Kneading dough reduced EDB by 30-50%, while baking reduced it to below 1.5% of original levels.
• The method demonstrated good resolution of EDB peaks from potential impurities.

Conclusions:

• The developed gas chromatography method is effective for quantifying EDB in food.
• EDB contamination in imported wheat is a potential concern.
• Food processing, particularly baking, effectively reduces EDB levels.