[Determination of bisphenols in sediment by accelerated solvent extraction and solid-phase extraction purification coupled with ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry]

Bisphenols are endocrine disruptors that are characterized with bioaccumulation, persistence, and estrogenic activity. Even low contents of bisphenols can exert adverse effects on human health and the ecological environment. Herein, a method combining accelerated solvent extraction and solid-phase extraction purification with ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the accurate detection of bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol B (BPB), bisphenol F (BPF), bisphenol S (BPS), bisphenol Z (BPZ), bisphenol AF (BPAF), and bisphenol AP (BPAP) in sediments. The mass spectrometric parameters of the seven bisphenols were optimized, and the response values, separation effects, and chromatographic peak shapes of the target compounds were compared under three different mobile phase conditions. The sediment samples were pretreated by accelerated solvent extraction, and orthogonal tests were used to optimize the extraction solvent, extraction temperature, and cycle number. The results showed that the use of 0.05% (v/v) ammonia and acetonitrile as the mobile phase for gradient elution could rapidly separate the seven bisphenols on an Acquity UPLC BEH C₁₈ column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm). The gradient program was as follows: 0-2 min, 60%A; 2-6 min, 60%A-40%A; 6-6.5 min, 40%A; 6.5-7 min, 40%A-60%A; 7-8 min, 60%A. Orthogonal experiments indicated that the optimal extraction conditions were as follows: extraction solvent of acetonitrile, extraction temperature of 100 ℃, and cycle number of three. The seven bisphenols showed good linearity in the range of 1.0-200 μg/L, with correlation coefficients (r²) greater than 0.999, and the limits of detection were 0.01-0.3 ng/g. The recoveries for the seven bisphenols ranged from 74.9% to 102.8% at three spiking levels (2.0, 10, 20 ng/g), with relative standard deviations ranging from 6.2% to 10.3%. The established method was applied to detect the seven bisphenols in sediment samples collected from Luoma Lake and its inflow rivers. BPA, BPB, BPF, BPS, and BPAF were detected in the sediments of the lake, and BPA, BPF, and BPS were detected in the sediments of its inflow rivers. The detection frequency of BPA and BPF was 100%, and the contents of these bisphenols in the sediment were 11.9-38.0 ng/g and 11.0-27.3 ng/g, respectively. The developed method is simple, rapid with high accuracy and precision, and is suitable for the determination of the seven bisphenols in sediment.

[Determination of fluoroacetic acid in human blood and urine by accelerated solvent extraction-ion chromatography-mass spectrometry]

Fluoroacetic acid is a highly polar poison used for rodent control. When ingested by the human body, it seriously damages nerve cells and heart tissues and even causes death by cardiac arrest or respiratory failure. Common detection methods for fluoroacetic acid include gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, both of which require complex pretreatment methods, such as derivatization. In this study, a method to determine fluoroacetic acid in human blood and urine based on accelerated solvent extraction-ion chromatography-mass spectrometry (ASE-IC-MS) was established. Two pretreatment methods, namely, acetonitrile precipitation and accelerated solvent extraction, were compared. Furthermore, the effects of different extraction conditions, such as the extraction time, extraction temperature, and number of cycles, were investigated. The most suitable chromatographic separation conditions, such as the chromatographic column, column temperature, and elution procedure, were determined, and the MS conditions, such as the collision energy (CE) and declustering potential (DP) of the ion pairs of the target compound, were investigated. Based on the experimental results, the optimal pretreatment methods and detection conditions were obtained, and reliable data were collected. Deionized water was used as the extraction solvent, and blood and urine samples were processed by accelerated solvent extractor. The supernatant was sequentially collected via centrifugal ultrafiltration and 0.22 μm membrane filtration, diluted 50 times, and then injected into the chromatographic column for detection. An Ion Pac AS20 IC column was used for isocratic elution with 15.0 mmol/L KOH solution as the eluent. The effluent was passed through a suppressor and into a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, which was used to perform MS/MS (ESI^-) in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The quantitative ion was m/z 77.0>57.0 when the CE and DP were -15.0 eV and -20.0 V, respectively. An external standard method was used for quantitative analysis. The results showed a good linear relationship for fluoroacetic acid in the range of 0.5-500.0 μg/L (r>0.999), with limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of 0.14 and 0.47 μg/L, respectively. The recoveries of fluoroacetic acid in blood and urine were 93.4%-95.8% and 96.2%-98.4%, respectively. The intra-day RSDs for blood and urine were 0.8%-1.6% and 0.2%-1.0%, respectively, while the inter-day RSDs were 2.3%-3.8% and 3.9%-6.9%, respectively. Further investigation revealed that the matrix effects of this method in blood and urine, at -7.4% and -3.0%, respectively, were fairly weak. The established method was successfully applied to detect fluoroacetic acid in human blood and urine obtained from a poisoning case, and the results obtained provided crucial clues that led to swift case resolution. The efficiency of the method was significantly higher than that of conventional detection methods. In conclusion, the developed method has high sensitivity and good repeatability and is suitable for the rapid detection of fluoroacetic acid in human blood and urine. Moreover, because this method does not require derivatization, it is simple and efficient.

Edible Plant Extracts against Aedes aegypti and Validation of a Piper nigrum L. Ethanolic Extract as a Natural Insecticide

The Aedes aegypti mosquito significantly impacts public health, with vector control remaining the most efficient means of reducing the number of arboviral disease cases. This study screened the larvicidal and pupicidal activity of common edible plant extracts. Piper nigrum L. (black pepper) extract production was optimized using accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and validated following regulatory requirements using HPLC-PDA analytical methodology to quantify its major component-piperine. Larvicidal activity was determined for the standardized P. nigrum fruit ethanol extract (LC₅₀ 1.1 µg/mL) and piperine standard (LC₅₀ 19.0 µg/mL). Furthermore, 9-day residual activity was determined for the extract (4 µg/mL) and piperine (60 µg/mL), with daily piperine quantification. Semi-field trials of solid extract formulations demonstrated 24-day activity against Ae. aegypti larvae. Thus, the standardized P. nigrum extract emerges as a potential candidate for insecticide development to control the arboviral vector.

[Pollution Characteristics and Health Risk Assessment of Perfluorinated Compounds in PM2.5 in Zhejiang Province]

As typical new pollutants, perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have been widely concerned by environmental workers in recent years. This study was carried out to investigate the pollution characteristics of perfluorinated compounds in atmospheric particulate matter (PM_2.5) in Zhejiang Province. The chemical extraction of PM_2.5 was performed using the accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) method with mixed dichloromethane and acetone (2:1). The chemical analysis was implemented by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The results showed that the daily average concentration of the sum of 12 PFCs (Σ₁₂ PFCs) ranged from 131.63 pg·m^-3 to 578.53 pg·m^-3, which was slightly higher in winter compared to that in autumn. The concentrations of perfluorosulfonic acids (PFSAs) were much lower than those of perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs). PFOS was the primary contaminant among PFASs, with an average concentration of 12.90 pg·m^-3. The content of PFCAs exhibited a trend of PFOA>PFHxA>PFHpA, and the detection rate of long-chain PFCs was much lower than that of short-chain PFCs. The hysplit-4 model was used to calculate the QZ air mass transport trajectory. The results indicated that the backward trajectory of this point was significantly different along time, and the source of air mass rarely affected the concentration. The forward trajectory confirmed that PFCs can be transmitted over long distances in the atmosphere in a short time. The correlation coefficient between PFUdA and PFTeDA was evaluated to be 0.68, and that between PFHxS and PFOS was 0.66, suggesting the same sources of these chemicals. The content of PFCs was positively correlated with PM_2.5, indicating that people might suffer from higher health risks on haze days. The risk quotient estimation implied no health risk of PFCs in PM_2.5 in Zhejiang Province.

Identification of in vitro-in vivo components of Caoguo using accelerated solvent extraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry integrated with network pharmacology on indigestion

Background

Caoguo (Tsaoko Fructus), a traditional Chinese medicine, is widely used as medicine and dietary spices. Volatile components are among its important bioactive constituents used to treatment of abdominal distension and pain, but the mechanism is not clear up to now. The purpose of this study was to develop a simple, sensitive, and accurate method to analyze and identify components of Caoguo in vitro and in vivo, and further investigate the therapeutic mechanism of Caoguo on indigestion using network pharmacology.

Methods

Caoguo were extracted by accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and n-hexane:ethyl acetate (1:1, v/v) was selected as the extraction solvent. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was adopted to analyze and identify the volatile components in vitro and in vivo. Network pharmacology including protein-protein network construction, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and pathway enrichment analysis and component-target-pathway network construction was applied.

Results

By comparing the retention times and mass spectrometry data, as well as retrieving the reference literature, a total of 169 components were tentatively identified in Caoguo extract and 43 components were identified in rats plasma samples for the first time. The results of network pharmacology analysis indicated that the potential mechanism was mainly associated with regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes and serotonergic synapse signaling pathway, which might be responsible for the effect of indigestion.

Conclusions

Caoguo was first extracted by ASE and the volatile chemical components in vivo were first identified by GC-MS. Coupled with network pharmacology analysis, a network of component-target-pathway was constructed to reveal the possible mechanism of Caoguo in treatment of indigestion. This study provided a new reference method for the extraction and analysis of Caoguo, laid a chemical basis for in-depth studies on pharmacodynamics and pharmacology, and revealed an updated understanding of the therapeutic effects of Caoguo on indigestion.

Effects of pH and Temperature on Water under Pressurized Conditions in the Extraction of Nutraceuticals from Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) Mushroom

Currently, there is increased interest in finding appropriate food-grade green extraction systems capable of extracting these bioactive compounds from dietary mushrooms for applications in various food, pharmacological, or nutraceutical formulations. Herein, we evaluated a modified Swiss water process (SWP) method using alkaline and acidic pH at low and high temperature under pressurized conditions as a suitable green food grade solvent to obtained extracts enriched with myco-nutrients (dietary phenolics, total antioxidants (TAA), vitamins, and minerals) from Chaga. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution accurate mass tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRAMS-MS/MS) was used to assess the phenolic compounds and vitamin levels in the extracts, while inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to determine the mineral contents. Over 20 phenolic compounds were quantitatively evaluated in the extracts and the highest total phenolic content (TPC) and total antioxidant activity (TAA) was observed at pH 11.5 at 100 °C. The most abundant phenolic compounds present in Chaga extracts included phenolic acids such as protocatechuic acid 4-glucoside (0.7–1.08 µg/mL), syringic acid (0.62–1.18 µg/mL), and myricetin (0.68–1.3 µg/mL). Vitamins are being reported for the first time in Chaga. Not only, a strong correlation was found for TPC with TAA (r-0.8, <0.0001), but also, with individual phenolics (i.e., Salicylic acid), lipophilic antioxidant activity (LAA), and total antioxidant minerals (TAM). pH 2.5 at 100 °C treatment shows superior effects in extracting the B vitamins whereas pH 2.5 at 60 and 100 °C treatments were outstanding for extraction of total fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin E content was the highest for the fat-soluble vitamins in the Chaga extract under acidic pH (2.5) and high temp. (100 °C) and ranges between 50 to 175 µg/100 g Chaga. Antioxidant minerals ranged from 85.94 µg/g (pH7 at 100 °C) to 113.86 µg/g DW (pH2.5 at 100 °C). High temperature 100 °C and a pH of 2.5 or 9.5. The treatment of pH 11.5 at 100 °C was the most useful for recovering phenolics and antioxidants from Chaga including several phenolic compounds reported for the first time in Chaga. SWP is being proposed herein for the first time as a novel, green food-grade solvent system for the extraction of myco-nutrients from Chaga and have potential applications as a suitable approach to extract nutrients from other matrices. Chaga extracts enriched with bioactive myconutrients and antioxidants may be suitable for further use or applications in the food and nutraceutical industries.

[Determination of 10 fluoroquinolones residues in aquatic products by accelerated solvent extraction, magnetic solid-phase extraction, and high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry]

In the aquaculture industry, fluoroquinolones are widely used as effective therapeutic agents to prevent animal diseases. The wide bactericidal activity of fluoroquinolones strongly depends on their concentration. Abuse of fluoroquinolones is considered the main reason for the possible occurrence of residues in aquatic products. The increasing presence of residues in aquatic products may pose potential risks to human health. Therefore, it is important to develop an efficient, sensitive, and reliable method for the simultaneous determination of fluoroquinolones in aquatic products. In the analysis of fluoroquinolones, many HPLC methods with different detection techniques have been applied. Among the most common used techniques, HPLC-MS is possible for the determination of very low level analytes in matrix. For the determination of low concentrations of fluoroquinolone residues in aquatic products, preliminary extraction and purification steps are frequently needed to achieve low detection limits. Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) is well suited for the determination of organic pollutants in solid samples. ASE has the advantages of a high degree of automation, sufficient extraction, high speed, and less solvent consumption, but it has the disadvantage of poor purification effects. Magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) has attracted considerable attention on account of its benefits such as easy separation, less solvent consumption, and quick adsorption of antibiotic residues in liquid samples. The combination of ASE with MSPE makes it possible to sufficiently extract and further purify the target compounds from complex solid samples. Compared with the currently used purification methods of SPE and QuECHERS, MSPE has advantages such as no need of centrifugation and filtration, less solvent consumption, and low cost by appropriate choice of magnetic materials. In this study, a method based on ASE-MSPE-HPLC-MS/MS was developed for the simultaneous determination of sarafloxacin, ofloxacin, enrofloxacin, danofloxacin, lomefloxacin, pefloxacin, ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, norfloxacin, and difloxacin in yellow croaker, grass carp, black fish, prawn, and macrobrachium. As a magnetic purification sorbent, a graphene oxide nanoscale-coated zerovalent iron adsorbent composite (GO@nZVI), was facilely prepared at room temperature. GO and nZVI solutions were rapidly vortex-mixed at 25℃, and then, the magnetite precipitate was magnetically isolated to obtain GO@nZVI. Simpler than the usually used preparation methods, GO@nZVI can be fabricated without complicated multi-step synthesis, fussy operation and harsh conditions. nZVI nanomaterials have strong multiple interactions (hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interaction or their combination) with GO composite only with appropriate adjustment of pH values. The synthesized magnetic purification sorbents were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD), indicating the successful formation of GO@nZVI. The magnetic material was used to purify and extract ten fluoroquinolone residues in aquatic products via MSPE, followed by ASE. In ASE step, the analytes were extracted from the aquatic products using methanol for 5 min at 70℃, under an extractive pressure of 10.34 MPa for three cycles. The extract was purified by MSPE using GO@nZVI. The target compounds were separated on an Agilent ZORBAX Eclipse Plus C18 column (100 mm×3.0 mm, 1.8 μm) with gradient elution, and analyzed in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with positive electrospray ionization (ESI⁺). Under the optimized conditions, good linearities were obtained for the ten fluoroquinolones in the range of 1-100 μg/kg, with correlation coefficients above 0.99. LODs (S/N=3) and LOQs (S/N=10) were 0.02-0.29 μg/kg and 0.07-0.98 μg/kg, respectively. At three spiked levels, the recoveries of the fluoroquinolones were between 81.6% and 105.8%, with RSDs between 4.2% and 13.6%. Overall, the major advantages of this combined ASE-MSPE-HPLC-MS/MS method are facile preparation of the magnetic purification material, automated and simple operation, high sensitivity, short extraction time, and less solvent consumption. This sensitive, repetitive method could be successfully employed for the determination of ten fluoroquinolone residues in aquatic products, with good recoveries.

[Determination of 32 polychlorinated biphenyls in aquatic products by gas chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry with accelerated solvent extraction-purification simultaneously coupled to isotope internal standard method]

Gas chromatography (GC)-high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) with accelerated solvent extraction (ASE)-purification simultaneously coupled to the isotope internal standard method is proposed for the determination of 32 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in aquatic products. Synchronous purification was achieved by adding 2 g of anhydrous sodium sulfate, 1 g of Cleanert Florisil, and 50 g of neutral alumina as the adsorbent to the ASE system. The PCBs were extracted from aquatic product samples using a dichloromethane-n-hexane (1:1, v/v) mixture at 100 ℃ with two extraction cycles. The extracting solution was purified twice with 0.5 mL concentrated sulfuric acid. After concentration to a constant volume, the target compounds were detected by GC-HRMS and quantified by the isotope internal standard method. Under the optimized conditions, the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the mean relative response factor (RRF) for the 32 PCBs in the range of 0.1-20 μg/L were less than 15%. The limits of quantification were 0.3-1.9 ng/kg. At three spiked levels (5, 20, and 50 ng/kg) in grass carp and sea bass, the recoveries of the 32 PCBs were between 71.9% and 119.0%, with the RSDs varying from 3.5% to 19.6%. This method effectively reduces the matrix interference and shows high sensitivity, good reproducibility, and stable recovery, thus proving useful for the detection of PCBs in aquatic products.

[Determination of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and 23 organochlorine residues in soil by accelerated solvent extraction and magnetic solid phase purification- gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry]

A method combining accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) with magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed for the simultaneous detection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and organochlorinepesticide (OCP) residues in soil samples. The analytes in the soil samples were extracted using an acetone/n-hexane (1:1, v/v) mixture for 5 min at 100℃. Then, the extraction pool was heated for 5 min under an extractive pressure of 11.032 MPa for three cycles. The extraction pool was washed with an acetone/n-hexane (1:1, v/v) mixture accounting for 60% of the pool volume, followed by nitrogen purging for 100 s. The extract was purified by MSPE using self-made magnetic ZIF-8/nZVI materials at room temperature. The analytes were detected by GC-MS/MS. Under the optimized conditions, good linearities were obtained for the 16 PAHs and the 23 OCPs in the range of 5-200 μg/kg, with correlation coefficients (r²) above 0.99. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.04-1.21 μg/kg. At three spiked levels in the soil samples, the recoveries of the 39 analytes were between 63.9% and 112.1%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) between 0.4% and 26.2%. The method was demonstrated to be successful for the determination of 16 PAH and 23 OCP residues in soil samples, with good recoveries.

Accelerated Solvent Extractions (ASE) of Mitragyna speciosa Korth. (Kratom) Leaves: Evaluation of Its Cytotoxicity and Antinociceptive Activity

Mitragyna speciosa Korth (kratom) is known for its psychoactive and analgesic properties. Mitragynine is the primary constituent present in kratom leaves. This study highlights the utilisation of the green accelerated solvent extraction technique to produce a better, non-toxic and antinociceptive active botanical extract of kratom. ASE M. speciosa extract had a dry yield (0.53–2.91 g) and showed a constant mitragynine content (6.53–7.19%) when extracted with organic solvents of different polarities. It only requires a shorter extraction time (5 min) and a reduced amount of solvents (less than 100 mL). A substantial amount of total phenolic (407.83 ± 2.50 GAE mg/g and flavonoids (194.00 ± 5.00 QE mg/g) were found in ASE kratom ethanol extract. The MTT test indicated that the ASE kratom ethanolic leaf extract is non-cytotoxic towards HEK-293 and HeLa Chang liver cells. In mice, ASE kratom ethanolic extract (200 mg/kg) demonstrated a better antinociceptive effect compared to methanol and ethyl acetate leaf extracts. The presence of bioactive indole alkaloids and flavonols such as mitragynine, paynantheine, quercetin, and rutin in ASE kratom ethanolic leaf extract was detected using UHPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS analysis supports its antinociceptive properties. ASE ethanolic leaf extract offers a better, safe, and cost-effective choice of test botanical extract for further preclinical studies.

Accelerated Solvent Extraction of Terpenes in Cannabis Coupled With Various Injection Techniques for GC-MS Analysis

The cannabis market is expanding exponentially in the United States. As state-wide legalization increases, so do demands for analytical testing methodologies. One of the main tests conducted on cannabis products is the analysis for terpenes. This research focused on implementation of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), utilizing surrogate matrix matching, and evaluation of traditional vs. more modern sample introduction techniques for analyzing terpenes via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Introduction techniques included Headspace-Syringe (HS-Syringe), HS-Solid Phase Microextraction Arrow (HS-SPME Arrow), Direct Immersion-SPME Arrow (DI-SPME Arrow), and Liquid Injection-Syringe (LI-Syringe). The LI-Syringe approach was deemed the most straightforward and robust method with terpene working ranges of 0.04–5.12 μg/mL; r² values of 0.988–0.996 (0.993 average); limit of quantitation values of 0.017–0.129 μg/mL (0.047 average); analytical precisions of 2.58–9.64% RSD (1.56 average); overall ASE-LI-Syringe-GC-MS method precisions of 1.73–14.6% RSD (4.97 average); and % recoveries of 84.6–98.9% (90.2 average) for the 23 terpenes of interest. Sample workflows and results are discussed, with an evaluation of the advantages/limitations of each approach and opportunities for future work.

Adapting the Accelerated Solvent Extraction Method for Resin and Rubber Determination in Guayule Using the BÜCHI Speed Extractor

Guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray) is a promising alternative source to Hevea brasiliensis for the production of natural rubber, which can reach levels of 8–9% under industrialized farming conditions. The most common method for determining rubber concentration is by accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), a technique developed by the Dionex Corporation and almost exclusively performed with the Dionex ASE-200 or 350 systems. Herein, it is sought to apply and adapt the most common methods used in the literature for the Dionex system to another extraction platform, the BÜCHI Speed Extractor E-914. Results showed that using a sand sandwich method to confine the sample in the center and exploiting a larger cell volume (80 mL) for extraction prevents the occurrence of overpressure and problems with clogging. Under optimized conditions, the coefficient of variation was <15% for both resin quantification for samples containing 5.0–15.8% of resin and for rubber quantification for samples with 1.7–10.3% rubber content. The extraction time for resin (2 cycles of 5 min each) was smaller than for rubber (2 cycles of 20 min each). It would be interesting to carry out interlaboratory comparisons to standardize the method at an international level.

[Determination of 16 mycotoxins in drug and food homologous products by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry combined with accelerated solvent extraction and QuEChERS]

A method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 16 mycotoxins in drug and food homologous products by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) combined with accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and QuEChERS. The target mycotoxins in drug and food homologous products were extracted by ASE. After concentration, the extracts were purified by QuEChERS. Then, the target compounds were analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS in both positive and negative electrospray ionization and MRM modes. Aflatoxin B1 and fumonisin B1 were quantified by the internal standard method, and the remaining mycotoxins were quantified by the matrix-matched external standard method. The proposed method showed a good linear relationship, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99. The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) of the 16 mycotoxins ranged from 0.008 μg/kg to 0.3 μg/kg and from 0.03 μg/kg to 1.0 μg/kg, respectively. The blank samples were spiked at three levels, and the recoveries ranged from 70.8% to 118%, with the RSDs being 2.5% to 10.2%. The developed method was successfully applied to mycotoxin analysis in 30 scutellaria, puerarin and sea buckthorn samples bought from local markets. Different levels of mycotoxins were detected in some of the products. The proposed method is simple, rapid and sensitive, and it can be applied to the simultaneous determination of multi-mycotoxins in drug and food homologous products.

Antioxidative Polyphenols of Canola Meal Extracted by High Pressure: Impact of Temperature and Solvents

Canola meal, a by-product of oil pressing, is a rich source of phenolic antioxidants. However, its use in the food and feed sector is still limited by the need for greener, sustainable, and more cost-effective extraction methods. This study used accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) to enhance the extraction efficiency of the phenolic antioxidants. The high selectivity and short extraction time associated with ASE were ideal for obtaining high yields of these antioxidants. The structure-based activity of phenolic compounds may be influenced by the high pressure and temperature of the greener ASE process. The present study evaluated the effect of temperature (140, 160, and 180 °C) and pressure (1,500 psi) on the extraction and yield of phenolic compounds from canola meal as well as the solvent type (ethanol and methanol) and concentration (30%, 40%, 60%, and 70% v/v). Antioxidant activity was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, ferric reducing/antioxidant power assay, and ion-chelating activity. The highest yield of phenolic compounds was obtained with 70% methanol (20.72 ± 1.47 mg SAE/g DM [milligrams of sinapic acid equivalents per gram of dry matter]) and 70% ethanol (24.71 ± 2.77 mg SAE/g DM) at 180 °C temperature. A similar trend was observed for the antioxidant activity of the extracts and their total flavonoid content. The structure-based antioxidant activity of the extracts examined increased with the increase in the percentage of the extracting solvent (P > 0.05). This study established ASE as an efficient green method for extracting phenolic compounds from canola meal, with potential application for the production of natural bioactive compounds from underutilized agricultural by-products. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: ASE is an efficient eco-friendly method for extracting phenolic compounds from agricultural by-products such canola meal. Under the conditions of high pressure and temperature, ASE significantly improved the yields of phenolic compounds, sinapine, sinapic acid, and canolol. Under these conditions, water, as an extractant, was not effective in extracting sianpine. Moreover, it was much less effective than both 70% ethanol and 70% methanol in extracting sinapine or canolol. These phenolic compounds are of great interest as natural antioxidants for enhancing the shelf life of food products. They also represent new sources of neutraceuticals for improving human health.

Development of a screening analytical method for the determination of non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in chicken eggs by gaschromatography and electron capture detection

A sensitive and reproducible screening analytical method is here proposed for the determination of six non dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (NDL-PCBs, congener 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, 180) in chicken eggs based on accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) procedure for the fat extraction and determination, a solid phase extraction (SPE) sample clean-up process, and a gas chromatography - electron capture detection (GC-ECD) analysis. The optimized chromatographic separation, in less than 25 min, returned good responses for the six NDL-PCBs in the range of 2.5-60.0 µg L^-1, with correlation coefficients always higher than 0.9995. Instrumental limits of detection were between 0.08-0.35 µg L^-1, corresponding to 0.05 and 0.23 ng g^-1 fat in the matrix, while method detection limits, calculated on spiked egg samples, ranged from 1.6 to 3.5 ng g^-1 fat. The method has been extensively validated in terms of selectivity, sensitivity, recovery, precision, ruggedness and measurement uncertainty, following the European Directives.

[Determination of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides in soil by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with accelerated solvent extraction]

A method based on gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) coupled with accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) was developed for the determination of eight organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and five organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in soils. The soil samples were grinded after freeze-drying. Particles with diameters lower than 250 μm were chosen by ion-sieving. After this, 10.0 g soil mixed with 2.0 g diaomite was extracted with hexane-acetone (1:1, v/v). The extracts were dehydrated with anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated with a termovap sample concentrator. The concentrated solutions were further cleaned up with Si SPE columns and eluted with hexane-acetone (1:1, v/v). The purified solutions were then isolated by HP-5MS column (30 m×0.25 mm×0.25 μm) and detected using the multiple reaction monitoring mode at the electron impact source. It is observed that this method has good linearities in the range of 1.00-100 μg/L for the 13 compounds, and the correlation coefficients (R) were greater than 0.995. The spiked recoveries of the 13 compounds were in the range of 66.8%-88.4%, and the relative standard deviations were less than 10%. With 10.0 g of sampling weight, the method detection limits ranged from 0.02 to 0.04 μg/kg for the eight OCPs and from 0.06 to 0.12 μg/kg for the five OPPs. This method is suitable for the determination of trace OCPs and OPPs in soils.

[Determination of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in marine sediments by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with accelerated solvent extraction]

A method based on gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) with accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) was developed for the determination of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in marine sediments. The sediment samples were extracted with hexane-acetone (1:1, v/v). The extracts were dehydrated with anhydrous sodium sulfate, and concentrated with a termovap sample concentrator. The concentrated solutions were further cleaned up with Si SPE columns. The purified solutions were then isolated by HP-5MS column (30 m×0.25 mm×0.25 μm). The analytes were detected using electron impact source under multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The results showed that the 16 PAHs had good linearities in the range of 0.01-1.00 mg/L with the correlation coefficients (R) greater than 0.997. The spiked recoveries of the 16 PAHs were in the range of 75.8%-97.8%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 10%. The method detection limits (MDLs) of the 16 PAHs ranged from 0.048-0.234 μg/kg with 20.0 g sampling weight. This method is suitable for the determination of trace PAHs in marine sediments.