Thin-layer chromatography coupled with HPLC-DAD/UHPLC-HRMS for target and non-target determination of emerging halogenated organic contaminants in animal-derived foods

In this study, a simple, solvent-saving, and sensitive method was established using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry to quantitively determine 16 emerging halogenated organic contaminants (HOCs), including polyhalogenated carbazoles, halogenated phenols, and tetrabromobisphenol-A analogs, and to qualitatively identify non-target HOCs in animal-derived food samples. The sample extracts were physically frozen to remove most lipids and further purified by thin-layer chromatography according to the targets polarity. The method detection limit and method quantification limit of 16 HOCs were in the range of 0.003–9.168 and 0.010–30.601 ng·g−1 dry weight, respectively. The recoveries were within 69.1–111.0 %, the intra/inter-day precisions were 0.1–6.1 % and 0.1–6.7 %, and the matrix effects were between −12.1 and 10.8 %, all within the acceptable range. Finally, 16 HOCs were detected in nine actual samples in range of not detected–307.22 ng·g−1 dry weight. Moreover, five bromides and two chlorides were identified by using non-target analysis in animal-derived foods.