Exploring 20 eV electron impact ionization in gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of estrogenic compounds

Fast gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry under milder electron ionization conditions for the assay of vitamin D metabolites in human serum

The proposed research was focused on the development of a gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-QqQ-MS) method under milder electron ionization (EI) conditions for the assay of vitamin D metabolites in human serum. Efficiency of three different silylation agents was evaluated for the conversion of vitamin D species into trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives, among which N-methyl-N-(trimethylsilyl)-trifluoroacetamide (MSTFA) proved to be the most effective. Indeed, the MSTFA reagent was able to convert in TMS ether even the 25-hydroxyl vitamin D derivative that, as known, possesses steric hindrance problems. The separation of vitamin D compounds was obtained in about 11.5 min using a narrow-bore column of dimensions 30 m × 0.25 mm ID × 0.10 μm df with a poly(5% diphenyl/95% dimethyl siloxane) stationary phase. The mass spectrometry ionization of the silylated derivatives was performed under milder EI conditions (20-eV energy) that, respect to common 70-eV energy, generated scan mass spectra with higher relative and absolute intensities of high-mass diagnostic ions, along with a reduced abundance of the low-mass. The signals of the ionized compounds were acquired in multi-reaction-monitoring (MRM) mode, thus enabling the obtainment of highly-sensitive and selective quantitative data. The developed method was validated in term of linearity, accuracy, limits of detection (LoD) and quantification (LoQ). In detail, regression coefficients of the calibration curves were between 0.9959 and 0.9999; LoDs ranged from 0.06 ng mL-1 to 0.73 ng mL-1 and LoQs from 0.16 ng mL-1 to 2.45 ng mL-1. With respect to accuracy, the serum SRM 972a certified reference material (Vitamin D metabolites in frozen human serum) (Levels 1-4) was analyzed.

Current Developments of Analytical Methodologies for Aflatoxins' Determination in Food during the Last Decade (2013-2022), with a Particular Focus on Nuts and Nut Products

This review aims to provide a clear overview of the most important analytical development in aflatoxins analysis during the last decade (2013-2022) with a particular focus on nuts and nuts-related products. Aflatoxins (AFs), a group of mycotoxins produced mainly by certain strains of the genus Aspergillus fungi, are known to impose a serious threat to human health. Indeed, AFs are considered carcinogenic to humans, group 1, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Since these toxins can be found in different food commodities, food control organizations worldwide impose maximum levels of AFs for commodities affected by this threat. Thus, they represent a cumbersome issue in terms of quality control, analytical result reliability, and economical losses. It is, therefore, mandatory for food industries to perform analysis on potentially contaminated commodities before the trade. A full perspective of the whole analytical workflow, considering each crucial step during AFs investigation, namely sampling, sample preparation, separation, and detection, will be presented to the reader, focusing on the main challenges related to the topic. A discussion will be primarily held regarding sample preparation methodologies such as partitioning, solid phase extraction (SPE), and immunoaffinity (IA) related methods. This will be followed by an overview of the leading analytical techniques for the detection of aflatoxins, in particular liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to a fluorescence detector (FLD) and/or mass spectrometry (MS). Moreover, the focus on the analytical procedure will not be specific only to traditional methodologies, such as LC, but also to new direct approaches based on imaging and the ability to detect AFs, reducing the need for sample preparation and separative techniques.

Imine-linked porous covalent organic framework used for the solid-phase extraction of estrogens from honey prior to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

以亚胺连接的多孔共价有机骨架材料(IL-COF-1)作为固相萃取的吸附剂,建立了液相色谱-串联质谱快速检测蜂蜜样品中痕量雌激素的方法。该研究选择雌二醇、己烯雌酚、雌三醇、β-雌二醇和炔雌醇5种雌激素作为目标分析物。在蜂蜜样品中添加雌激素,采用单因素优化法对影响萃取效果的重要因素进行优化,获得最佳条件:IL-COF-1用量为30 mg,样品流速为3 mL/min,样品溶液pH值为7,以5 mL的1%(v/v)氨水-甲醇溶液进行洗脱,流速为0.4 mL/min,萃取过程中不添加NaCl。采用高效液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱联用技术对提取物中的雌激素进行定量分析。以乙腈和5 mmol/L的乙酸铵溶液作为流动相进行梯度洗脱,经C18色谱柱分离,采用电喷雾离子源、质谱多反应监测和负离子扫描模式,实现了蜂蜜样品中5种雌激素的快速定性定量分析。在最佳条件下,方法验证结果中雌三醇、β-雌二醇和炔雌醇的线性范围为1~500 ng/g,雌二醇和己烯雌酚的线性范围为0.1~100 ng/g,相关系数(r)为0.9934~0.9972。检出限(S/N=3)为0.01~0.30 ng/g,定量限(S/N=10)为0.05~0.95 ng/g。添加50 ng/g 5种雌激素进行重复性实验,日内精密度相对标准偏差(RSD)为3.2%~6.6%,日间精密度RSD为4.2%~7.9%。基于IL-COF-1的固相萃取-液相色谱-串联质谱法具有快速准确、灵敏度高等特点,适用于蜂蜜中雌激素的分析和检测。将该方法应用于4个实际蜂蜜样品中雌激素的检测,均未检出目标物;在低中高3个水平下,5种雌激素的加标回收率为80.1%~115.2%,结果令人满意。

Simultaneous determination of nine estrogens in bullfrogs using filtered solid phase extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

建立了基于通过型固相萃取小柱净化的超高效液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱联用(UPLC-MS/MS)同时快速准确测定牛蛙中9种雌激素(雌三醇(E3)、17β-雌二醇(β-E)、17α-雌二醇(α-E)、17α-炔二雌醇(EE2)、雌酮(EI)、己烯雌酚(DES)、己二烯雌酚(DE)、己烷雌酚(HEX)、醋酸双烯雌酚(DD))残留的检测方法。样品经乙腈提取,经PRiME HLB固相萃取柱净化,Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C₁₈柱(100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm)分离,以0.5 mmol/L氟化铵水溶液-乙腈体系为流动相梯度洗脱,流速为0.3 mL/min,采用电喷雾正负离子切换模式(ESI⁺/ESI^-)和多反应监测(MRM)扫描方式检测,基质匹配外标法定量分析。该研究优化了液相色谱条件,相比于乙酸铵水溶液-乙腈体系和氨水溶液-乙腈体系,0.5 mmol/L氟化铵水溶液-乙腈体系作为流动相时9种雌激素普遍具有更佳的灵敏度。相比于甲醇和乙酸乙酯,乙腈作为提取溶剂时9种雌激素的提取率提高15%~40%。考察了HLB、C₁₈、Silica、PRiME HLB共4种不同类型的固相萃取小柱的基质净化效应,结果表明,PRiME HLB柱具有更好的基质净化能力。经PRiME HLB净化后,所有化合物的回收率均在70%~125%之间。DD的回收率从47%提高到74%, DES的回收率从180%降低到123%,有效减弱了基质效应。在最佳的实验条件下,E3、β-E、α-E、EI、DE、HEX、DD的线性范围为0.5~100.0 μg/L, EE2和DES的线性范围为1.0~100.0 μg/L, 9种雌激素在各自的线性范围内均有良好的线性关系,相关系数为0.9953~0.9994,方法检出限为0.17~0.33 μg/kg,方法定量限为0.5~1.0 μg/kg,在2.0、10.0、80.0 μg/kg 3个加标水平下,9种雌激素的加标回收率为65.1%~128.2%,相对标准偏差为1.9%~17.6%。该方法操作简便、快速、灵敏,重复性好,可用于大批量样品的同时快速准确检测。

Deeper investigation of oxygen-containing compounds in oleaginous feedstock (animal fat) by preparative column chromatography and comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The production of renewable fuels as biodiesel and bio-jet fuel is usually originated by the transformation and processing of oleaginous feedstocks, mainly composed of triacylglycerols. Currently, a significant part of the triacylglycerol production relies on grassy oil crops or other woody oil plants, representing more than 120 million metric tons every year. Considering that the worldwide triacylglycerol demand is expected to rise in the future, alternative routes are necessary to ensure a sustainable biodiesel industry and limit diesel price volatility. In this context, the use of animal fats could be an interesting alternative for biodiesel production as the production of animal byproducts represents nearly 17 million tons per year in the European Union only (2020). Animal fats, however, contain large amounts of no-esterified fatty acids and other oxygen compounds, reducing the yield of biodiesel. Therefore, a specific pretreatment is needed before the trans-esterification process. The setup of such appropriate pretreatments requires detailed upstream characterization of the minor components present in the feedstock. For this purpose, the minor component profile of animal fat was investigated by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry. This was preceded by an innovative sample fractionation and focalization of these minor components by a preparative liquid chromatographic column method. The overall method permitted to extract different levels of information from the two-dimensional chromatograms, leading to a tentative identification of more than 150 compounds, mainly oxygenated, belonging to different chemical classes.

Novel deep eutectic solvent-based liquid phase microextraction for the extraction of estrogenic compounds from environmental samples

Steroid hormones, such as estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), 17β-ethinylestradiol (EE2) and estriol (E3) are a group of lipophilic active substances, synthesized biologically from cholesterol or chemically. A pH-switchable hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent-based liquid phase microextraction (DES-LPME) technique was established and combined with gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy for the determination of estrogenic compounds in environmental water and wastewater samples. A DES was synthesized using l-menthol as HBA and (1S)-(+)-camphor-10-sulfonic acid (CSA) as HBD, and used as a green extraction solvent. By adjusting the pH of the solution, the unique behavior of the DES in the phase transition and extraction of the desired analytes was investigated. The homogenization process of the mixture is done only by manual shaking in less than 30 seconds and the phase separation is done only by changing the pH and without centrifugation. Some effective parameters on the extraction and derivatization, such as molar ratio of DES components, DES volume, KOH concentration, HCl volume, salt addition, extraction and derivatization time and derivatization prior or after extraction were studied and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, relative standard deviation (RSD) values for intra-day and inter-day of the method based on 7 replicate measurements of 20 ng L⁻¹ of estrogenic compounds and 10 ng L⁻¹ for internal standard in different samples were in the range of 2.2–4.6% and 3.9–5.7%, respectively. The calibration graphs were linear in the range of 0.5–100 ng L⁻¹ and the limits of detection (LODs) were in the range of 0.2–1.0 ng L⁻¹. The relative recoveries of environmental water and wastewater samples which have been spiked with different levels of target compounds were 91.0–108.8%.

A pH-switchable hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent-based liquid phase microextraction (DES-LPME) technique was established and combined with gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy for the determination of estrogenic compounds in environmental samples.