We developed a method for the determination of low levels of the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in lipid-soluble liquid smoke (LSLS). The method consists of partitioning the LSLS (2 g) between n-hexane and DMSO, purification of the DMSO extracts on Sep-Pak C18 Plus and then Silica Plus cartridges, and determination of the BaP in the isolated extract by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Detection and quantification limits were 0.049 microgram/l (0.024 microgram/kg of LSLS) and 0.089 microgram/l (0.045 mg/kg), respectively. Recovery (87%) and CV% (< or = 1.5) were satisfactory.