The Combined ICP-MS, ESEM-EDX, and HAADF-STEM-EDX Approach for the Assessment of Metal Sub-Micro- and Nanoparticles in Wheat Grain.

Metal sub-microparticles (SMPs) and nanoparticles (NPs) presence in food is attributable to increasing pollution from the environment in raw materials and finished products. In the present study, a multifaceted analytical strategy based on Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy and High-Angle Annular Dark-Field-Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (ESEM-EDX, HAADF-STEM-EDX) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) was proposed for the detection and characterization of metal and metal-containing SMPs and NPs in durum wheat samples, covering a size measurement range from 1 nm to multiple µm. ESEM-EDX and ICP-MS techniques were applied for the assessment of SMP and NP contamination on the surface of wheat grains collected from seven geographical areas characterized by different natural and anthropic conditions, namely Italy, the USA, Australia, Slovakia, Mexico, Austria, and Russia. ICP-MS showed significant differences among the mean concentration levels of metals, with the USA and Italy having the highest level. ESEM-EDX analysis confirmed ICP-MS concentration measurements and measured the highest presence of particles < 0.8 µm in size in samples from Italy, followed by the USA. Less marked differences were observed when particles < 0.15 µm were considered. HAADF-STEM-EDX was applied to a selected number of samples for a preliminary assessment of internal contamination by metal SMPs and NPs, and to expand the measurable particle size range. The multifaceted approach provided similar results for Fe-containing SMPs and NPs. ICP-MS and ESEM-EDX also highlighted the presence of a significant abundance of Ti- and Al-containing particles, while for STEM-EDX, sample preparation artifacts complicated the interpretation. Finally, HAADF-STEM-EDX results provided relevant information about particles in the low nm range, since, by applying this technique, no particles smaller than 50 nm were observed in accordance with ESEM-EDX.

Development of a Fully Automated Method HS-SPME-GC-MS/MS for the Determination of Odor-Active Carbonyls in Wines: a "Green" Approach to Improve Robustness and Productivity in the Oenological Analytical Chemistry.

The aim of this study was the optimization and validation of a green, robust, and comprehensive method for the determination of volatile carbonyl compounds (VCCs) in wines that could be added as a new quality control tool for the evaluation of a complete fermentation, correct winemaking style, and proper bottling and storage. A HS-SPME-GC-MS/MS method was optimized and automated using the autosampler to improve overall performance. A solvent-less technique and a strong minimization of all volumes were implemented to comply with the green analytical chemistry principles. There were as many as 44 VCC (mainly linear aldehydes, Strecker aldehydes, unsaturated aldehydes, ketones, and many other) analytes under investigation. All compounds showed a good linearity, and the LOQs were abundantly under the relevant perception thresholds. Intraday, 5-day interday repeatability, and recovery performances in a spiked real sample were evaluated showing satisfactory results. The method was applied to determine the evolution of VCCs in white and red wines after accelerated aging for 5 weeks at 50 °C. Furans and linear and Strecker aldehydes were the compounds that showed the most important variation; many VCCs increased in both classes of samples, whereas some showed different behaviors between white and red cultivars. The obtained results are in strong accordance with the latest models on carbonyl evolution related to wine aging.

Aroma determination in alcoholic beverages: Green MS-based sample preparation approaches.

Aroma determination in alcoholic beverages has become a hot research topic due to the ongoing effort to obtain quality products, especially in a globalized market. Consumer satisfaction is mainly achieved by balancing several aroma compounds, which are mixtures of numerous volatile molecules enclosed in challenging matrices. Thus, sample preparation strategies for quality control and product development are required. They involve several steps including copious amounts of hazardous solvents or time-consuming procedures. This is bucking the trend of the ever-increasing pressure to reduce the environmental impact of analytical chemistry processes. Hence, the evolution of sample preparation procedures has directed towards miniaturized techniques to decrease or avoid the use of hazardous solvents and integrating sampling, extraction, and enrichment of the targeted analytes in fewer steps. Mass spectrometry coupled to gas or liquid chromatography is particularly well suited to address the complexity of these matrices. This review surveys advancements of green miniaturized techniques coupled to mass spectrometry applied on all categories of odor-active molecules in the most consumed alcoholic beverages: beer, wine, and spirits. The targeted literature consider progresses over the past 20 years.

The contribution of varietal thiols in the diverse aroma of Italian monovarietal white wines.

Thanks to their low odor detection thresholds, free varietal thiols (VTs) play a key role in the primary aroma of wines, to which they confer an intense scent reminiscent of box tree, grapefruit, citrus fruits, passionfruit and cat urine odor. Excluding wines from a few VT-rich grapevine cultivars, VTs appear to be present in most cultivars at trace levels, although a comprehensive dataset is still missing. The low concentration of VTs combined with their high reactivity and matrix complexity make their determination in wines a challenging task. In this research an optimized liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was validated and used for the quantification of 4-methyl-4-sulfanylpentan-2-one (4-MSP), 3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol (3-SH), 3-sulfanylhexyl acetate (3-SHA) and ethyl 3-sulfanylpropionate (E3SP) in 246 samples (vintage 2019) representative of 18 monovarietal Italian white wines. VTs were detected in all cultivars even though higher values of 3-SH were found in Lugana, Müller-Thurgau and Verdicchio cultivars. Müller-Thurgau wines showed the highest level of 4-MSP, that was mainly correlated to the odor descriptors of passionfruit and box tree/cat urine. The VTs composition of Müller-Thurgau was confirmed on a second set of 50 wines from different vintages. From a sensory perspective, the samples of Müller-Thurgau showed the best positive correlations between chemical variables and the odor descriptors thiol note, passion fruit and box tree/cat urine. These notes are significantly related to 4-MSP, suggesting that it could play a relevant olfactory role for the aroma of Müller-Thurgau wines. Sorting analysis allowed to group these wines according to their thiolic characteristics. The chemical variables and the odor descriptors attributable to the thiol notes are important for Müller-Thurgau and Lugana wines, while the contribution of thiol notes was sensorially negligible for the other wines.

Evaluation of a liquid electron ionization liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry interface.

Liquid Electron Ionization (LEI), is an innovative liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) interface that converts liquid HPLC eluent to the gas-phase in a mass spectrometer equipped with an electron ionization (EI) source. LEI extends the electronic spectra libraries access to liquid chromatography, providing a powerful tool in the untargeted approacssh. Negligible matrix effects allow accurate quantitative information. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the main aspects concerning the interfacing process. These fundamental studies were necessary to understand the mechanism of LEI in details, and improve the interfacing process, especially regarding robustness and sensitivity. Hardware components were installed to prevent analytes precipitation, reduce thermal decomposition of sensitive compounds, and to stabilize the nano-flow delivery with different mobile-phase compositions. Particular attention was devoted to insulating the heated vaporization area from the LC part of the system. Experiments were performed to optimize the interface inner capillary dimensions, and other operative parameters, including temperature, gas and liquid flow rates. Test compounds of environmental interest were selected based on molecular weight, thermal stability, volatility, and polarity. Robustness was evaluated with a set of replicated injections and calibration experiments using a soil matrix as a test sample. MRM detection limits in the low-picogram range were obtained for five pesticides belonging to different classes in a soil sample. High-quality electron ionization mass spectra of a mixture of pesticides were also obtained.

Rapid, hydrolysis-free, dilute-and-shoot method for the determination of buprenorphine, norbuprenorphine and their glucuronides in urine samples using UHPLC-MS/MS.

Buprenorphine and its metabolites are routinely monitored to assess patient compliance with drug detoxification programs or as pain killers. A rapid method for the simultaneous analysis of buprenorphine, norbuprenorphine, and glucuronides in urine using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was developed. Urine samples were diluted in water containing formic acid 0.1% and directly injected into the UHPLC-MS/MS system without any sample pretreatment. Quality control (QC) samples, prepared using 20 different urine matrices, fortified at 3 concentration levels, were quantified using four deuterated internal standards. The accuracy values obtained spanned from 90 to 114% with repeatability lower than 10% also in the inter-day between batch experiments. Matrix effects (ME), evaluated before correction with internal standards using Matuszewski procedure, mainly affected the analysis of buprenorphine glucuronide. The use of deuterated internal standards (IS) for each analyte was necessary to compensate for ME and was essential in the determination of glucuronides. The method was applied to 30 real urine samples from patients under a detoxification therapy. Duplicate analyses were performed with the presented method and compared with another method which involves a standard hydrolysis procedure. Real sample results were compared showing a good performance agreement, with differences between the two methods lower than ±20% in the quantification results.

Determination of benzodiazepines in beverages using green extraction methods and capillary HPLC-UV detection.

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with and without ultrasound assistance (DLLME, UA-DLLME) and microextraction with packed sorbent (MEPS) methods for the extraction and determination of eight different benzodiazepines (BDZ) (chlordiazepoxide, flurazepam, bromazepam, oxazepam, lorazepam, clobazam, clonazepam, and flunitrazepam) in three commercial non-alcoholic and light alcoholic beverages were optimized and compared. Benzodiazepines are frequently used for their extensive diffusion and strong numbing effect in drug-facilitated crimes (DFC). The tiny small amount of sample required for DLLME and MEPS extraction makes them very suitable for specimens collected at the crime scene of DFCs. Microextraction techniques are of increasing interest thanks to their accordance to green analytical chemistry (GAC) guidelines providing good recovery values. Ultrasound assistance (UA-DLLME) was used to investigate whether this type of energy can improve the recoveries of the analytes. Analyses of the extracts were performed with reverse-phase capillary high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (HPLC - UV), thanks to low environmental impact, robustness, diffusion, and affordability. Recovery percentages at three different concentrations in the three beverages were between 14.30% and 103.28% with intraday and interday RSD lower than ±2.78%. The same samples were extracted using a MEPS protocol, and the results were compared with those obtained with DLLME. MEPS gave recoveries between 20.90% and 101.88% for all matrices showing a better performance than DLLME at higher concentrations, though lower recoveries were observed with diluted samples.

Atmospheric Pressure Vaporization Mechanism for Coupling a Liquid Phase with Electron Ionization Mass Spectrometry.

A novel liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) interfacing concept is presented and discussed. The new interface, called liquid-EI (LEI), is based on electron ionization (EI) but, differently from any previous attempt, the vaporization of solutes and mobile phase takes place at atmospheric pressure into a specifically designed region, called "vaporization microchannel", before entering the high-vacuum ion source. The interface is completely independent from the rest of the instrumentation and can be adapted to any gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) system, as an add-on for a rapid LC-MS conversion. Pressure drop and temperature gradient between LC and MS were considered to enhance the analyte response and reduce band broadening and/or solute carryovers. A fused silica liner, placed inside the vaporization microchannel, acts as an inert vaporization surface speeding up the gas-phase conversion of large molecules while lessening possible memory effects. The liner is easily replaceable for a quick and extremely simple interface maintenance. Proof of concept and detailed description of the interface are here presented.