Report on the 14th inter-laboratory comparison organised by the European Union Reference Laboratory for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons : four marker PAHs in food supplements

This report presents the results of the fourteenth inter-laboratory comparison (ILC) organised by the European Union Reference Laboratory for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (EURL PAH) on the determination of the four EU marker PAHs, benz[a]anthracene (BAA), benzo[a]pyrene (BAP), benzo[b]fluoranthene (BBF) and chrysene (CHR), in food supplements, particularly in fish oil and spirulina powder. It was conducted under ISO Standard 17043 accreditation. The test materials used in this exercise were commercial products naturally contaminated (spirulina) or spiked with the 4 markers PAHs (fish oil). Participants also received a solution of PAHs in solvent of their choice (either toluene or acetonitrile) with disclosed content for the verification of their instrument calibration. Reference values were used to benchmark the results reported by participants. Both National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) and official food control laboratories (OCLs) of the EU Member States were admitted as participants. The participants were free to choose the method of analysis. The performance of the participating laboratories in the determination of the target PAHs in test materials was expressed by z-scores. Satisfactory performance expressed by z-scores was assigned to about 83.6 % of the reported results.