Recent development of chromatographic methods to determine parabens in breast milk samples: A review

Parabens have been widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in food, drugs, and cosmetics for over 60 years. These endocrine disruptors can alter both the wildlife and the human hormone function. Determining these compounds in human milk is important because breast milk plays an important role in infant growth and in neurocognitive development. This article summarizes the current state-of-the-art of chromatographic methods to determine parabens in breast milk samples. Apart from the conventional and modern microextraction sample preparation techniques described herein, the authors discuss the chromatographic systems, primarily LC-MS/MS, and the concentration ranges at which parabens have been detected in milk samples obtained from lactating women over the past few years.