Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are carcinogenic and mutagenic compounds that are often formed during the thermal processing of herbal medicine ingredients. In this study, the concentrations of four PAHs (PAH4) in various herbal medicine ingredients were monitored. Further, the QuEChERS method was used to replace conventional pretreatment, a more complex and cumbersome approach. The recovery range of the QuEChERS method ranged between 89.65–118.59%, and the average detection levels of benzo[a]anthracene (BaA), chrysene (CHR), benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), and Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in 50 herbal medicine ingredients were 0.18, 0.27, 1.13, and 0.17 μg/kg, respectively. The BaP and PAH4 levels in all tested samples were deemed safe according to risk characterization analyses based on European Union and Korean guidelines. Therefore, our findings indicated that the QuEChERS method could be used as an effective alternative to conventional sample pretreatment for the analysis of herbal medicine ingredients.
Highlights
IntroductionThere is a growing interest in herbal medicines that were used for approximately 5000 years as traditional remedies
The main purpose of this study was to determine whether the QuEChERS coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-FLD could replace the conventional pretreatment method coupled with gas chromatography (GC)/MS
This study evaluated whether the QuEChERS pretreatment method coupled with
Summary
There is a growing interest in herbal medicines that were used for approximately 5000 years as traditional remedies. There are growing concerns regarding the carcinogenic compounds that are unintentionally generated during the heat treatment process of herbal medicine ingredients, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Organic materials become partially decomposed and divided into unstable fractions when they reach a high temperature (pyrolysis). These fractions are recombined to become extremely reactive radicals, which are stable PAHs (pyrosynthesis) [2]. PAHs are formed during the combustion process of carbonaceous materials at high temperatures [3]. Applying high temperatures to herbal medicine ingredients during the manufacturing process can lead to PAH generation. Relocation of PAHs to the raw material in environments such as soil, air, and so on can be involved in the detection of PAHs
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