Determination of phytochemical compounds in chicken breast by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) method was developed for the simultaneous detection and quantification of five phytogenic compounds (carvone, menthol, thymol, carvacrol and methyl salicylate) in chicken breast. Chicken breast samples were analyzed using a QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) approach using acetonitrile as extraction solvent, followed by a d-SPE (dispersive-solid phase extraction) clean up step. The linearities for the 5 substances were studied in the range between 2 and 100 μg/L and the coefficients of determination (R2) were always > 0.995. Matrix effects were also assessed by comparing the slopes obtained in solvent and chicken breast matrix. The recoveries for all the substances at 3 different spike levels (5, 10 and 50 μg/kg) were in the range 80-102% with RSDs < 15%. The instrumental limits of quantification were in the range 2.7-4.8 μg/kg, while the reporting level of the method was 5 μg/kg for all the aforementioned compounds. The method was successfully applied to 10 chicken breasts samples from the local market.