Analytical methods for water disinfection byproducts in foods and beverages

The determination of exposure to drinking water disinfection byproducts (DB Ps) requires an understanding of how drinking water comes into contact with human through multiple pathways. In order to facilitate the investigation of human exposure to DBPs via foods and beverages, analytical method develo pment efforts were initiated for haloacetonitriles. haloketones, chloropicr in, and the haloacetic acids (HAAs) in these matrices. The recoveries of th e target analytes were investigated from composite foods and beverages. Ind ividual foods and beverages used to investigate the general applicability o f the developed methods were selected for testing based on their water cont ent and frequency of consumption. The haloacetonitriles, the haloketones, a nd chloral hydrate were generally well recovered (70-130%), except for brom ochloroacetonitrile (64%) and dibromoacetonitrile (55%), from foods spiked after homogenization and following extraction with methyl-t-butyl ether (MT BE); the addition of acetone was found to be necessary to improve recoverie s from beverages. The process of homogenization resulted in decreased recov eries for the more volatile analytes despite the presence of dry ice. The H AAs were generally well recovered (70-130%), except for trichloroacetic aci d (58%) and tribromoacetic acid (132%), from foods but low recoveries and e mulsion formation were experienced with some beverages. With both groups of analytes, certain matrices were more problematic (as measured by volatilit y losses, emulsion formation) than others with regard to processing and ana lyte recovery.