RESUMEN
The simultaneous use of nitrite and sorbate as preservatives in meat products may produce mutagenic compounds such as the ethylnitrolic acid and 2-methyl-1,4-dinitro-pyrrole. We developed a sensitive analytical method with high metrological reliability. After assessing several extraction approaches and chromatographic separation modes, a modified Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe (QuEChERS) approach was chosen for sample preparation, which were analyzed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (with C18 as stationary phase) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. After validation, we confirmed that this method is fit-for-purpose, since it was applied to the analysis of several meat products. Limits of detection were set from 5 to 20⯵g kg-1. Satisfactory results were obtained for both compounds, such as precision (CV > 20%) and recoveries (77-92%). This method determine these carcinogenic compounds in processed meats, contributing to the preservation of public health and the improvement of food regulation and control.