Mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) analysis in animal feed: a characterization based on modern pollution

Abstract

This research aims to confirm and quantify the presence of mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOHs) in feed, as well to investigate the contribution of modern pollution sources to the level of contamination. Through simultaneous processes of microwave assisted saponification (MAS), extraction and purification procedures, followed by the LC-GC-FID detection, 8 types of feeds from one of the most polluted areas of the country were analyzed. The results indicated contamination with MOH for most of the feed samples, mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) concentrations above the recommended limits (0.5 mg/kg) being recorded. The data indicated moderate to high contamination for MOSH, from 16.5 mg/kg to 77.3 mg/kg, while average values below the limit of quantification (< LOQ) were highlighted for mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH) content. Based on the results, was difficult to establish a clear relationship between feed contamination, crop location and different pollution sources. However, the information obtained by assessing the relationship between feed contamination and pollution, indicated that the pollution sources from the plotting area had an important contribution to the contamination of the analyzed feedstuffs.