Development and validation of a rapid and sensitive method for the detection of trifluoroacetic acid in honey.

Residual trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in food has emerged as a new concern, but studies on the detection of TFA remain limited. Herein, we developed and validated a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of TFA in honey for the first time. A matrix-induced liquid-liquid extraction was designed for the extraction and isolation of TFA from honey. The suppressive effect of metal ions in the matrix, particularly Mg2+ and Ca2+, on the extraction of TFA was confirmed. Under optimal conditions, method validation demonstrated satisfactory selectivity, linearity, accuracy (98%-115%), and precision (2.0%-7.7%). In tests of the method on retail honey samples, TFA was detected in 36 out of 38 with a maximum concentration of 252 μg/kg. This study not only provides a rapid and sensitive method for the detection of TFA in honey, but it also elucidates the effect of metal ions and ionic strength on TFA extraction.