Abstract N-nitrosamines (NAs) have recently been identified as contaminants in various matrices, including processed meat products. These compounds exhibit high carcinogenic potential, raising significant concerns regarding their presence. In this context, the present study proposes the use of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in the Headspace ( HS ), a technique that offers higher efficiency and a greener profile compared to conventional extraction methods, enabling the achievement of low detection limits when combined with gas chromatography coupled to flame ionization detection (GC/FID). Instrumental parameters were optimized to ensure suitable separation and detection of N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). The optimization of the HS -SPME parameters revealed that the PDMS/Car/DVB fiber, sample solution at pH 7, ionic strength adjusted to 30% NaCl, extraction temperature of 35 °C, and extraction time of 60 min were optimal conditions. The analytical parameters of the developed method were evaluated, yielding excellent selectivity and limits of detection of 4 and 38 µg kg⁻ 1 for NDEA and NDMA, respectively. The method exhibited precision with RSDs from 2.6% to 14.4%, with the higher value attributed to the manual nature of the SPME process for NDMA, and accuracy, with recoveries between 92.3% and 111.5%, thereby confirming the effectiveness of the developed method for the determination of NAs. The proposed approach provides an efficient and sustainable alternative to more costly conventional methods. The developed method was applied to two commercial sausage samples purchased from different local markets, and no detectable levels of the evaluated NAs were found. The proposed approach provides an efficient and sustainable alternative to more costly conventional methods. Graphical Abstract
Passos et al. (Sat,) studied this question.