An increasing number of studies have suggested that PAH contamination in dairy products demands high concern. This study established an efficient determination method for the European Union 15 + 1 PAHs and four PAH derivatives in dairy samples using a QuEChERS method coupled with GC-QqQ-MS. The optimized method obtained a recovery of 63.38−109.17% with a precision of 3.82−15.62%, and the limit of detection and limit of quantification were 0.08−0.78 and 0.27−2.59 μg/kg, respectively. The validated method was then successfully applied to identify the 20 PAHs in 82 dairy samples, including 43 commercial milk samples and 39 milk powders. The total PAH concentrations ranged from 2.37 to 11.83 μg/kg, and benzo[a]pyrene was only quantified in one milk and one milk powder sample at 0.35 and 0.42 μg/kg, respectively. The concentrations of PAH4 in milk samples and milk powders were not quantified (nq)−3.99 and nq−4.51 μg/kg, respectively. The results confirmed the appreciable occurrence of PAHs in dairy products, especially in infant formula. The data in this study provide a scientific basis for assessment on origin tracing, dietary exposure, and health risk of PAHs and their derivatives.

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