Point discharge molecular emission spectrometer as a highly sensitive GC detector for the analysis of furans in food products

Furans, recognized as carcinogenic contaminants generated during thermal food processing, pose significant food safety concerns, necessitating sensitive and cost-effective detection methods. Traditional GC-FID/MS methods are often constrained by high costs and complex instrumentation. Herein, a point discharge molecular emission spectrometer (PD-MES) was developed as a highly sensitive GC detector, specifically by monitoring CN molecular emission at 388.3 nm for the analysis of furans in food samples. Furans were extracted using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) prior to detection. Compared to conventional carbon atomic emission at 193.0 nm, the CN-based method demonstrated up to a 211.42-fold improvement in sensitivity and achieved detection limits of 0.02–0.08 ng/g with excellent precision (RSD < 4.9 %). Practical validation across ten diverse food matrices yielded satisfactory recoveries (83.4 %–114.5 %). This system offers a robust, highly sensitive, reliable, and economical alternative for the routine monitoring of furan compounds in foods, particularly in resource-limited settings.