Determination of furanic compounds in Mopane worms, corn, and peanuts using headspace solid-phase microextraction with gas chromatography-flame ionisation detector

Nonkululeko S Masite; Somandla Ncube; Fanyana M Mtunzi; Lawrence M Madikizela; Vusumzi E Pakade

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130944

Determination of furanic compounds in Mopane worms, corn, and peanuts using headspace solid-phase microextraction with gas chromatography-flame ionisation detector

Food Chem. 2022 Feb 1:369:130944. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130944. Epub 2021 Aug 24.

Authors

Nonkululeko S Masite¹, Somandla Ncube², Fanyana M Mtunzi¹, Lawrence M Madikizela³, Vusumzi E Pakade⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Private Bag X 021, Vaal University of Technology, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa.
² Department of Chemistry, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, P.O Box 60, Medunsa 0204, South Africa.
³ Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Florida Science Campus, 1710, South Africa.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, Private Bag X 021, Vaal University of Technology, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa. Electronic address: vusumzip@vut.ac.za.

PMID: 34464834
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130944

Abstract

A headspace-solid phase microextraction - gas chromatography-flame ionisation detector (HS-SPME-GC/FID) method was developed for the simultaneous determination of furan, 2-methylfuran and 2-furaldehyde in thermally processed Mopane worms, corn, and peanuts. The optimal HS-SPME conditions with polydimethylsiloxane/carboxen/divinylbenzene (PDMS/CAR/DVB) fiber were 30 °C, 40 min and 600 rpm stirring speed. The recoveries, detection and quantification limits for the analytes in food samples were 67-106%, 0.54-3.5 µg kg^-1, and 1.8-12 µg kg^-1, respectively. These results showed that the developed method was accurate, reproducible, and sensitive for the determination of furan, 2-methylfuran and 2-furaldehyde in complex food matrices with limited interference from other components. The optimised analytical method was applied for monitoring the presence of the furanic compounds in heat-processed South African foods. Although 2-furaldehyde was not detected in food samples, the maximum concentrations of 24 and 95 µg kg^-1 were found for furan and 2-methylfuran, respectively.

Keywords: Furan; GC/FID; HS-SPME; Mopane worms; Thermally processed food.

MeSH terms

Arachis
Chromatography, Gas
Furaldehyde
Reproducibility of Results
Solid Phase Microextraction*
Zea mays*

Substances

Furaldehyde