Simultaneous detection of multiple phenolic compounds in fish by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry following a modified QuEChERS cleanup

Abstract Phenolic compounds can cause health problems in humans through the food chain. Considering that fish play an important role in human diets, we established a rapid, simple and high-throughput method for the determination of 18 phenolic compounds in fish based on a modified QuEChERS sample preparation method combined with GC-MS. The average recovery of the 18 phenolic compounds was 81.3–116% at 3 spiked levels, and the relative standard deviations, RSDr and RSDwR, were in the range of 1.1–11.3% and 1.5–12.2%, respectively. The limit of detection was 2.0–10.1 μg/kg. Satisfactory linear relationships (R 2 > 0.998) were observed for the phenolic compounds in their corresponding concentration ranges. Moreover, the established method exhibited a high sensitivity, good stability, and reliability. The development of this method has an important theoretical and practical significance for establishing standards and to control the residue levels of phenolic compounds in fish.