Liquid phase extraction combining with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) to tin determination in edible oils
Tin (Sn) is an abundant element on the planet, presenting the most common oxidation states: Sn (II) and Sn (IV). Tin has a wide application mainly in the manufacture of packaging for the food, beverage and aerosol industry. While inorganic tin compounds are not considered to be toxic, organotin compounds (OTs) are highly toxic. Due to the low concentration of Sn compounds in different matrices such as edible oils, this work uses extraction induced by emulsion breaking as a technique for sample preparation inorganic Sn extraction combined whit detection step by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (GF AAS). EIEB was optimized and performed by weighing 1.0 g of vegetable oil in, followed by the addition of 1 mL of the mixture composed by 2% triton X-114 (w/v) with 3% nitric acid (v/v). The mixture was mechanically stirred using a vortex for emulsion formation and emulsion breaking was performed by heating at 90°C for 60 minutes. The aqueous phase was collected and the Sn detected by GF AAS. The calibration curve for Sn was linear between 10 and 100 µg L-1. The limit of detection and quantitation of the method were 1.1 and 3.6 µg L-1 respectively for the method. Accuracy was evaluated by spike and recovery assays, and values obtained ranged from 82 to 94% were found to be adequate for the purpose. Sample preparation was also performed by microwave acid digestion and Sn was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Another sample preparation method based on reverse dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (RP-DLLME), but good Sn recovery results were obtained. EIEB sample preparation stands out for simplicity of operation, fast, low reagent consumption.