Analysis of UV ink photoinitiators in packaged food by fast liquid chromatography at sub-ambient temperature coupled to tandem mass spectrometry

A fast method of liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) was developed for the analysis of eleven UV ink photoinitiators in packaged food. Chromatographic separation was achieved in a pentafluorophenylpropyl (PFPP) column at 5 °C and acetonitrile:25 mM formic acid–ammonium formate (pH 2.7) in gradient elution. To reduce sample treatment, a QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged and safe) method for the extraction and clean-up of UV photoinitiators in packaged foods was evaluated. Triple quadrupole working in H-SRM on Q1 mode was used for both quantitation and confirmation purposes and the most intense and selective transitions were chosen. Quality parameters of the developed QuEChERS LC–MS/MS method were established and applied for the analysis of photoinitiators in food packaged at ng kg−1 levels.