Case study: Targeted HPLC-MS/MS analysis of TFA and other USC-PFAS in beverages and waters from Italy and Asia
Open accessAbstract
Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is an ultra-short chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), persistent, highly soluble, and increasingly detected in the environment. This study reports the first systematic screening of TFA and other USC-PFAS in Italy, covering surface, mineral, spring and tap waters as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. A total of 172 liquid samples were analyzed with a validated high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method. Additional bottled tap and surface waters from China and Thailand were included for international comparison. Among eight target analytes, only TFA was detected. In Italian waters, concentrations were generally low (0.10–2.02 μg/L; mean 0.39 μg/L), with slightly higher levels in well and surface waters. In contrast, beverages showed markedly elevated concentrations, especially wines (45–407 μg/L; mean 138.8 μg/L), with several red wines exceeding 300 μg/L. Furthermore, the analysis of several wine heritages showed an interesting increase in TFA concentration from 1997 to 2024. These findings demonstrate a distinct contamination profile of TFA, likely linked to atmospheric deposition, and reveal unexpectedly and high accumulation in wines, suggesting dietary exposure routes beyond drinking water. The work supports the inclusion of TFA in PFAS monitoring and regulatory frameworks and provides a preliminary comparison with Asian regions, where Chinese waters showed higher levels (0.56–1.85…
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In Affricano et al., PFPrA and TFMS were analyzed but not detected.
“In the same study by Affricano et al. [41], other ultra-short-chain PFAS, including PFPrA and TFMS, were analyzed but not detected.”
From Integrated Targeted and Suspect Screening Workflow for Identifying PFAS of Concern in Urban-Impacted Serbian Rivers (2026) · cites this paper as [41]
Given no PFAS manufacturing in Serbia, plausible contributors to elevated TFA include emissions from industrial and pharmaceutical uses, agricultural application of C-CF3-containing plant protection products, and secondary atmospheric formation through degradation of volatile fluorinated precursors and refrigerant gases.
“Given that there is no PFAS manufacturing in Serbia, plausible contributors include emissions from industrial and pharmaceutical uses, agricultural application of C–CF3-containing plant protection products, and secondary atmospheric formation through degradation of volatile fluorinated precursors and refrigerant gases [39,40,41].”
From Integrated Targeted and Suspect Screening Workflow for Identifying PFAS of Concern in Urban-Impacted Serbian Rivers (2026) · cites this paper as [41]
Affricano et al. reported average TFA concentrations of 0.48 μg/L in surface and well waters from Italy, comparable to the mean concentration obtained in this study (0.513 μg/L).
“Affricano et al. [41] reported average TFA concentrations of 0.48 µg/L in surface and well waters from Italy, comparable to the mean concentration obtained in this study (0.513 µg/L).”
From Integrated Targeted and Suspect Screening Workflow for Identifying PFAS of Concern in Urban-Impacted Serbian Rivers (2026) · cites this paper as [41]
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- Authors
- Affricano, A., Asteggiano, A., Di Bernardo, A., Apirakkan, O., Khachonwongwattana, A., Sinaviwat, S., & Medana, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Turin (IT)
- Department of Science Service (TH)
- Corresponding author
- Affricano, Alex
- Venue
- Food Control
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2026-03
- Volume
- 181
- Pages
- 111779
- ISSN
- 0956-7135 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4415054464
- Cited by
- 15
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15
- FWCI
- 4.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Food Control (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Institutional Research Information System University of Turin (University of Turin) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Università degli Studi di Torino
- Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (101007578)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances research
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Water Treatment and Disinfection
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Fluoride Effects and Removal
- Keywords
- trifluoroacetic acid, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, wine contamination, alcoholic beverages, drinking water contamination, atmospheric deposition, dietary exposure, surface water, spring water, tap water
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