Rapid Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Seafood

The recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico created concerns over the safety of seafood that can get potentially contaminated with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) from crude oil. The US Environmental Protection Agency identifies PAHs as critical pollutants harmful to human health. Some of these compounds are known carcinogens.

This application note details a rapid analysis method for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in fish and mollusks using the Shimadzu all-round Nexera UHPLC equipped with a sub 2-micron PAH column and the new RF-20Axs fluorescence detector that offers world-leading levels of sensitivity.