A toxic reagent-free method for normal-phase matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction and reversed-phase liquid chromatographic determination of aldrin, dieldrin, and DDTs in animal fats

Abstract

A method for the determination of aldrin, dieldrin, DDT, DDE, and DDD contamination in animal fats (beef tallow, lard, and chicken fat) without using toxic reagents is developed, that uses high-performance liquid chromatography after the sample has been prepared by matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) with acidic alumina oxide. A reversed-phase C₁-silica column with a mobile phase of 50% (v/v) ethanol solution (in water) and a photo-diode array detector were used for the determination. Average recoveries of the target compounds (0.2–5.0 μg g⁻¹) ranged from 84–98%, with coefficients of variation of <5%. The limits of quantitation were ≤0.16 μg g⁻¹ for AD, ≤0.10 μg g⁻¹ for DD, ≤0.06 μg g⁻¹ for DDT, ≤0.07 μg g⁻¹ for DDE, and ≤0.05 μg g⁻¹ for DDD. No toxic reagents were used at all.