Evaluation of the contamination of spirits by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextraction coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

•First use of ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextraction for PAHs analysis in spirits.•The procedure is rapid, simple and requires a minimum consumption of organic solvent.•Direct calibration with standard solutions facilitates routine PAHs monitoring. The concentration of twelve polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), included in the list of priority pollutants, in different spirits has been obtained by means of a rapid and sensitive method based on gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The environmentally friendly ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextraction (USAEME) technique allowed the easy and effective preconcentration of the PAHs from the sample matrices. Several parameters affecting the extraction efficiency, such as the nature and volume of the extractant solvent, and the addition of salt, as well as the sonication parameters were investigated and optimized. The absence of matrix effects under the optimized conditions allowed the sample quantification against aqueous standards. Detection limits ranged between 1.8 and 6.3ngL−1, depending on the compound. Different spirit samples were successfully analyzed using the proposed method, and contents of up to 0.9μgL−1 were found. Relative recoveries at fortified levels of 0.2 and 1μgL−1 were in the range 84–118%.