Determination of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate in meat by Gas Chromatography

The determination of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate(DEHP) in meat by GC was studied. DEHP was extracted firstly, saponified secondly, thus DEHP was decomposed to phthalic acid and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol. 2-ethyl-1-hexanol was extracted and condensed from the distillate after steam distilled. Then the 2-ethyl-1-hexanol was determined by GC and the amount of DEHP was calculated by conversion. Results show that samples are extracted with diethyl ether for 6 h and then saponified for 3 h, when pH value is 7, the extraction rate is between 81.8％ and 88.0%, the recovery rate of the method is between 75.12％ and 84.95％, determination limit is 1.07×10^-3 mg/kg. This method reduces the requirement to machinery and can be great beneficial for food and package material safety.