LAUSR

ABSTRACT Solid phase extraction (SPE) technique followed by gas chromatography (GC) coupled with flame ionisation detector was evaluated for the analysis of acetaldehyde concentration in water contained in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. Fifteen fresh samples of 1.5 L of different brands were collected from the local market and stored in the laboratory under controlled temperatures at 20°C, 30°C and 40°C. The samples were analysed at regular intervals of time. The acetaldehyde determined in these samples was found in the range of 9.88–139.44 µg/L. Moreover, the level of acetaldehyde was found to increase with increase in temperature and storage time. Furthermore, the results indicate that the proposed method is very simple, low cost and efficient for the determination and recovery of trace amount of acetaldehyde in bottled water.