Collaborative study on toxaphene indicator compounds (chlorobornanes) in fish oil

A validation study of a method for the analysis of four toxaphene indicator compounds in a fatty matrix was carried out. The method of analysis consisted of cleanup by gel permeation and absorption chromatography followed by GC-ECD determination. In total, five materials with indicator compound concentrations in the range from 6 to 60 μg/kg and a blank material were analysed. The mean recovery was found to be between 77 and 100%. For three compounds, the analytical results have shown a relative standard deviation of reproducibility of 21 ± 4 %. A higher variation was found for the fourth compound (mean 29 %). The method is recommended for routine analysis in food inspection in Germany.