Use of headspace sorptive extraction coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for the analysis of volatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in herbal infusions

A solvent-free method is described for the determination of 10 volatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), considered as priority pollutants by the EU, in different herbal infusions using headspace sorptive extraction (HSSE) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The parameters affecting both the extraction and thermal desorption steps in the HSSE were optimized by means of Plackett–Burman designs. Ten millilitres of the herbal infusion was submitted to the HSSE preconcentration in the presence of salt for 4 h at 88 °C. The use of d10-phenanthrene as internal standard not only improved the repeatability of the method but allowed quantification of the samples against external aqueous standards. Detection limits ranged between 11 and 26 ng L−1.