Analysis of ultrashort per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in fruits and vegetables
By Yelena Sapozhnikova
J. Agric. Food Chem.
May 19, 2026
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.6c00469
Short and ultrashort per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), are posing a growing concern due to their high persistence, mobility, and increasing levels in the environment. This study developed and validated a method to analyze seven such PFAS in fruits and vegetables at three spiking levels with five replicates each. Recoveries of PFAS with matched isotopically labeled internal standards were 70–107% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) ≤ 15%. The validated method was applied to test 103 samples of fruits and vegetables from the USA. TFA was the only PFAS found in all samples with concentrations ranging from 1 to 625 ng/g. Calculated daily intakes of TFA were below the acceptable daily intake value of 0.05 mg/kg set up by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). To our knowledge, this is the first report of TFA in fruits and vegetables in the USA.
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