Supercritical fluid extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from seaweed samples before and after the prestige oil spill.

Samples of seaweed which are used for human consumption were collected along the Galician coast (NW Spain), in order to determine the level of contamination from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, by supercritical fluid extraction and liquid chromatographic analysis. No detection was made of benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[ghi]perylene and dibenzo[ah]anthracene. PAHs were found and quantified in only two samples. The PAHs found were the following: anthracene, chrysene, fluoranthene, fluorene and pyrene. The levels found were below maximum limits established by the Spanish Food Safety authority (<200 mg/kg dry weight). Here we show that no relevant effects were detected in terms of PAHs contamination in seaweed.

Comparison of supercritical fluid extraction and Soxhlet extraction for the determination of aliphatic hydrocarbons in seaweed samples.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and Soxhlet extraction methods were compared in a study of the aliphatic hydrocarbon profiles of seaweed samples. Method precision for Soxhlet extraction (< or = 7.58%) was slightly better than that for SFE (< or = 9.28%) except for C28. The SFE method is a good alternative for the routine determination of alkanes in seaweed samples; however, for a complete study of shorter-chain n-alkanes, the Soxhlet extraction is a more suitable method. To evaluate the SFE and Soxhlet methods developed, three diverse Undaria pinnatifida samples collected at different dates and areas of the Galician coast were analyzed. n-Alkanes C18, C20, C22, C24, and C28 were found in all samples, with values lower than 7.9 microg g(-1) d.w. The total hydrocarbon content was within the range of 13.6-21.7 microg g(-1) d.w. C18 was found to be the most abundant.

Extraction of hydrocarbons from seaweed samples using sonication and microwave-assisted extraction: a comparative study.

A sonication method is compared with a microwave-assisted extraction method for recovering polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and aliphatic hydrocarbons from seaweed and acid humic samples. Different extracting solvents and adsorbents for the purification step are tested. For the sonication extraction, 10 g of the sample are extracted in an ultrasonic bath (60 degrees C for 15 min with 20 mL of hexane). For the microwave-assisted extraction two steps are carried out, each step at 90 degrees C under pressure in closed vessels with 20 mL of hexane for 10 min at 950 W. A clean-up step is performed for both extraction techniques. The results indicate that the recovery of hydrocarbons is dependent on both the extraction technique and the type of matrix. The most suitable technique appears to be sonication employing hexane as the extraction solvent. The recoveries obtained for aliphatic hydrocarbons are higher than those achieved for the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, with values ranging within 81-109% and 40-76%, respectively.

Comparison of supercritical fluid extraction and Soxhlet extraction for the determination of PCBs in seaweed samples.

The efficiency of supercritical fluid extraction for the determination of 12 polychlorinated biphenyls from algae samples is compared to Soxhlet extraction. Analytical detection limits for the individual congeners ranged from 0.62 microgl(-1) to 19 microgl(-1). Recovery was tested for both methods using standard addition procedure. At maximum spike level of concentration, the mean recoveries were not significantly different (P>0.05) of all PCBs studied, with the exception of PCBs 28, 52, 77 and 169. Method precision for Soxhlet extraction (< or =3.9%) was slightly better than for SFE (< or =9.2%). Although both methods yield comparable results, SFE offers the advantage of detecting all PCBs studied at lower concentrations, reducing extraction time, and reducing the amount of solvents needed. The optimized methods were applied to the analysis of three real seaweed samples, except for PCB101 the concentrations of all PCBs were low or below the detection limits. The levels of PCB101 found in sample 1 were 6.6+/-0.54 ng g(-1) d.w., in sample 2 the levels were 8.2+/-0.86 ng g(-1) d.w. and in sample 3 they were 7.7+/-0.08 ng g(-1) d.w.

Determination of aliphatic hydrocarbons in the alga Himanthalia elongata.

The algae considered new foods according to Regulation CE 258/97 need a guarantee of their healthfulness before being in the European market. In this work ten samples of the brown alga Himanthalia elongata have been analyzed with the aim of verifying the absence of aliphatic hydrocarbons, due to the ability of the macroalgae to capture lipophilic organic compounds of the marine water coming from accidental or continuous leaks of raw oil and refined products, which happen each year with the growth of the industrialization and the demand of energy. The fat of the samples were Soxhlet extracted using hexane:dichloromethane (1:1) for 7h. The organic fractions were purified using silica microcolumns. The identification and quantification of the aliphatic hydrocarbons have been carried out using gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detector (FID). The total hydrocarbon content was between 14.8 and 40.2 microg g(-1) dry weight.