Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in baby food using QuEChERS combined with low-density solvent dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction

•Twelve polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were studied.•Appropriate performance characteristics were achieved.•Clean-up stage provided a reduction of 84% in the remaining co-extractives content.•High enrichment factor was obtained with limits of detection ≤0.3 µg kg−1.•Plackett–Burman design identified the variables that affect the extraction efficiency. A sensitive GC–MS method is reported for the determination of twelve polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in baby food. The sample preparation involves QuEChERS extraction combined with low-density solvent dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (LDS-DLLME) and ultra-low temperature (−80 °C). Plackett–Burman screening design was employed to identify the main sample preparation variables that affect the extraction efficiency, such as the volume of toluene used in LDS-DLLME. The suitability of proposed method was verified by analytical selectivity, linearity in solvent and matrix-matched calibration curves and adequate recoveries (72–112%) and precision (RSD values ≤11%), under repeatability and within-laboratory reproducibility conditions. High analytical sensitivity was achieved for the monitoring of PAHs at the strict limit of 1 µg kg−1 fixed by the European Commission for baby foods. The validated method was applied to thirty-two commercial baby food samples, and the investigated PAHs were not detected in any sample.