Investigation of 33 types of honey samples: application of an efficient dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction technique coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to determine 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

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In this research, for the first time, 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 33 types of honey samples have been analyzed using an efficient, sensitive and rapid high-density solvent-microextraction (HDS-ME) technique coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Important parameters in the extraction process were optimized using central composite design (CCD). Good linear relationships were chosen for 16 PAHs in the range of 1–200 ng g−1, with a correlation coefficient (R2) higher than 0.94. The limits of detection and limits of quantification were 0.3–0.8 ng g−1 and 0.9–2.4 ng g−1, respectively. The relative standard deviations for six similar analyses at the optimized point were less than 9%. The recoveries of the proposed method were obtained between 86% and 102%. High recovery, low consumption of the solvent, speed, ease of use and good elimination of matrix interference compared to other methods are the advantages of the proposed method. The performance of the present work was confirmed by the standard addition method and satisfactory results were obtained. The concentrations of PAHs in honey samples were found lower than 11 ng g−1.