High-Throughput and Low-Cost Analysis of Trace Volatile Phthalates in Seafood by Online Coupling of Monolithic Capillary Adsorbent with GC-MS.

A simple, sensitive, and high-throughput method was developed for the determination of six volatile phthalate esters-dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), benzylbutyl phthalate (BBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP)-in seafood samples by using monolith adsorbent in a capillary coupled to a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) system. The freeze-dried samples were subjected to an ultrasonication with hexane, followed by vortex mixing. The liquid extract was quantitatively determined by a direct application to an online silica monolith capillary adsorbent coupled with a gas chromatograph with mass spectrometric detection.