Determination of benzo(a)pyrene by GC/MS/MS in retail olive oil samples available in Qatar.

A survey was carried out for the presence of benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) in olive oils following reports that some batches of Spanish olive-pomace oil and its products contained high levels of B(a)P. Three types of olive oils (1) virgin olive oil, (2) refined olive oil and (3) olive-pomace oil, originating from France, Greece, Italy, the Lebanon, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey, and available on Qatar market, were analysed for B(a)P. Determination was carried out by extraction from a cyclohexane solution with N,N-dimethylformamide: water (9:1), back extraction with cyclohexane, followed by clean-up on a silica gel column and quantification by GC/MS/MS.

Occurrence of aflatoxin in commodities imported into Qatar, 1997-2000.

The occurrence of aflatoxin in commodities imported into Qatar was investigated from 1999 to 2000. During the 4 years, 351 samples of susceptible commodities were analysed. Aflatoxin was detected in 71 (20%) samples in the range 0.