Analysis of Free Amino Acid Composition and Honey Plant Species in Seven Honey Species in China.

Honey is well-known as a food product that is rich in active ingredients and is very popular among consumers. Free amino acids (FAAs) are one of the important nutritional components of honey, which can be used not only as a nutritional indicator of honey but also as an indicator of plant source identification. In this study, the contents of 20 FAAs in seven types of honey from 11 provinces in China were examined for the first time. The 20 FAAs were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). By analyzing 93 honey samples from seven types of honey, the FAAs were found to range from 394.4 mg/kg (linden honey) to 1771.7 mg/kg (chaste honey). Proline ranged from 274.55 to 572.48 mg/kg, and methionine was only present in some of the linden honey, chaste honey, acacia honey, and rape honey. Evaluated by amino acid principal component analysis, multifloral grassland honey had the highest overall evaluation score, acacia and jujube honey were the most similar, while chaste honey was the least similar to the other types of honey. In addition, DNA was extracted from 174 Xinjiang grassland honey samples and different plant leaves for PCR and sequencing to identify the species of nectar plants. As a result, 12 families and 25 species of honey plants were identified. The results confirmed the diversity of FAAs in dissimilar types and sources of honey. This study provides a reference for expanding honey quality standards and verifying the authenticity of honey.

Occurrence of organotin compounds in food: increasing challenge of phenyltin compounds.

Concentrations and distribution for 16 organotin compounds were studied in all kinds of foods, including seafood, agricultural products, and wine. Meanwhile, the degradation of the TBT or TPhT was also evaluated. Concentrations of total organotins in seafood, agricultural products, and wine were 1047.2, 469.4, and 13.5 µg Sn/kg. Meanwhile, the most frequently detected organotin in three kinds of samples were TPhT, MPhT, and MPhT, respectively. The results demonstrated that phenyltin may probably become an emerging organotin pollutant. Regarding seafood, organotin concentrations of fish and mollusks were much higher than those of crustaceans. At the same time, a significant positive correlation was observed between the concentrations of TBT and MBT (p < 0.05), and between DBT and MBT(p < 0.0001). Moreover, TPhT was significantly and positively associated with DPhT (p < 0.0001), suggesting that TPhT was the precursor of DPhT. Apart from the likely illegal use of OTs as biocides in antifouling paints for ships, anthropogenic activity like agricultural activity or industrial activity also caused organotin contamination. Further research and more effective measures should be formulated to protect the food safety. Meanwhile, monitoring of the organotin contamination should not only in Qinhuangdao, but also expand to the cities along Bohai Bay.

Simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analyses of volatile components in Chinese honey of six botanical origins using headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

BACKGROUND: Honey aroma is one of its most important properties and it depends on the qualitative and quantitative composition of the volatile compounds. The volatile profile of honey could reveal its botanical origin to avoid a false characterization. Thus, it is of great significance to honey authentication. This study developed and validated a headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) method for simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analyses of 34 volatile components in honey. The developed method was applied to 86 honey samples from six different botanical origins, including linden honey, rape honey, jujube honey, vitex honey, lavender honey and acacia honey. RESULTS: The volatile fingerprints and quantitative results were simultaneously obtained by using the full scan and selected ion monitoring (SCAN+SIM) MS scanning mode. The limits of quantification (LOQs) and limits of detection (LODs) of 34 volatile compounds were in the ranges of 1-10 ng/g and 0.3-3 ng/g, respectively. And the spiked recoveries ranged between 70.6% and 126.2%, with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) not higher than 45.4%. A total of 98 volatile compounds were found with relative contents determined, and the 34 volatile compounds were determined with absolute concentrations. Based on the volatile fingerprints and the contents of volatile compounds, honey samples from six botanical origins were well classified by principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least-squares discrimination analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The HS-SPME-GC-MS method was successfully applied to achieve the volatile fingerprints of six types of honey and to quantitatively analyze 34 volatile compounds with satisfying sensitivity and accuracy. Chemometrics analysis showed significant correlations between honey types and volatiles. These results reveal the characteristics of volatile compounds in six types of unifloral honey and provide some supports for honey authentication. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Simultaneous determination of cyanide and thiocyanate in milk by GC-MS/MS using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as both phase transfer catalyst and protein precipitant.

A method was developed for simultaneous determination of cyanide and thiocyanate in milk by gas chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Cyanide and thiocyanate were derivatized with pentafluorobenzyl bromide (PFBBr) as PFB-CN and PFB-SCN, respectively. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was employed both as a phase transfer catalyst and a protein precipitant in the sample pretreatment, which facilitates the separation of the organic and aqueous phases, and greatly simplifies the pretreatment procedures to achieve simultaneous and rapid determination of cyanide and thiocyanate. Under the optimized conditions, the limits of detection (LODs) of cyanide and thiocyanate in milk were 0.006 mg/kg and 0.015 mg/kg, and the spiked recoveries ranged from 90.1% to 98.2% and from 91.8% to 98.9% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 18.9% and 15.2%, respectively. The proposed method was validated as a simple, fast and highly sensitive method for the determination of cyanide and thiocyanate in milk.

Comprehensive investigation of the content and the origin of matrine-type alkaloids in Chinese honeys.

A HPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneous determination of four matrine-type alkaloids (matrine, oxymatrine, sophocarpine and sophoridine) in honey was established and was applied to 567 Chinese honey samples. The overall detection rate was 61.0 % and all eight Sophora viciifolia Hance honey samples were detected with the average content of 1183.3 µg/kg. Among 383 Acacia honey samples, matrine-type alkaloids have the highest detection rates in Gansu (98.8 %) and Shaanxi (86.5 %) provinces, which were significantly correlated with the distribution of S. viciifolia Hance. Moreover, matrine-type alkaloids in fruits and flowers of S. viciifolia Hance were as high as 7.06 g/kg and 2.65 g/kg respectively. The melissopalynological analysis showed that the concentration of oxymatrine was positively correlated with the pollen frequency of S. viciifolia Hance (R2 = 0.737) in representative Acacia honey samples. It can be concluded that the matrine-type alkaloids in Chinese honeys come from the nectariferous plants S. viciifolia Hance.

Simultaneous determination of seven perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids in water samples by 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl bromide derivatization and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A new derivatization reagent, 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl bromide (PFBBr), was employed to determine seven perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) simultaneously in tap water with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique in this study. Firstly, seven PFCAs were derivatized to their corresponding esters under alkaline condition. The derivatization conditions including the amount of PFBBr and K2CO3, derivatization temperature and time were optimized to increase the derivatization efficiency. The 14 tap water samples collected from different places of China were enriched and purified through solid phase extraction pretreatment. The limits of detection (LODs) and the limits of quantitation (LOQs) ranged from 0.1 ng/L to 0.28 ng/L and from 0.3 ng/L to 0.84 ng/L, respectively. The new method offers a linear relationship in the range from 2 ng/L to 2000 ng/L, and the correlation coefficients ranged from 0.9938 to 0.9994. The results showed that GC-MS combined with pre-column derivatization is a reliable method for the analysis of PFCAs in the aqueous environment.

Simultaneous determination of nine perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids by a series of amide acetals derivatization and gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

A novel and simple derivatization method using a series of amide acetals as derivatization reagents, along with gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) analysis, were developed and validated for simultaneous determination of 9 perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) in this study. The structures and fragmentation pathway of PFCAs derivatives were deduced and verified. The derivatization method developed in this study improved the sensitivity of the detection of PFCAs by GC. The applicability of 6 amide acetals for the derivatization of PFCAs was demonstrated. Derivatization conditions for 9 PFCAs were optimized with addition of 20 µL of derivatization reagent and reaction at 35 °C for 30 min. 9 PFCAs derivatives were confirmed to be stable over 15 days. The instrument detection limits (IDLs) were lower than 0.01 pg/µL. The intra and inter-day precisions were below 4.06% and 5.48%, respectively. To demonstrate the utility of the derivatization method, the level of PFCAs in the marine products were detected. The alkaline digestion followed by solid-phase extraction (SPE) cleanup method was used for pretreatment. The method detection limits (MDLs) ranged from 0.04 to 0.10 ng/g, and the spiked recoveries ranged between 54.72% and 107.29%, with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.53%-11.89%. Five PFCAs were detected in the range of 0.66 to 499.03 ng/g dry weight.

Novel polyclonal antibody-based rapid gold sandwich immunochromatographic strip for detecting the major royal jelly protein 1 (MRJP1) in honey.

Honey adulteration is becoming increasingly alarming incidents in food safety. Monitoring and detecting adulteration face greater challenges. Honey contains the major royal jelly proteins (MRJP) secreted by bee workers. To detect honey adulteration fast and accurately, a rapid gold sandwich immunochromatographic strip (GSIS) was developed based on two specific polyclonal antibodies (PoAbs) against the MRJP1, the most abundant protein of all MRJPs. We determined the best of pH value (pH 8.6) and PoAb SP-1 amount (5 µg/mL) in conjunction with colloidal. The cut-off value (sensitivity) of GSIS in detecting MRJP1 is 2.0 µg/mL in solution. Validation analysis with RJ, milk vetch honey, acacia honey and honey adulteration containing rice syrup and corn syrup with different ratios demonstrated that the GSIS could show consistent Test line (T line) when the test samples contain more than 30% pure honey or MRJP1 0.4 mg/g. The validation results by isotope ratio mass spectrometry on the same pure and all adulteration milk vetch honey samples showed the same information of GSIS test. The qualitative assay GSIS provided a valuable new way for honey authenticity and laid the foundation for the future application of GSIS with monoclonal antibodies in honey authentication.

Comprehensive determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Chinese herbal medicines by solid phase extraction and gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.

A simple and highly sensitive gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) method combined with solid-phase extraction cleanup was established for the comprehensive determination of 16 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in various kinds of Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs). A solid-phase extraction (SPE) purification strategy, including three parallel procedures, was developed depending on sample type, and satisfactory purification performances were achieved for all selected CHMs. The limits of detection ranged from 0.12 to 1.08 µg kg(-1) for the analyzed PAHs. The average recoveries were in the range of 65.9 % to 100.8 %, except for naphthalene (43.8 %-75.9 %), and the relative standard deviations were ≤12.8 %. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of PAHs in 24 CHMs including five roots, three stems, four flowers, two fruits, four seeds, three leaves, and three barks. In the samples analyzed, all 16 PAHs are present. Their sum ranges from 21.1 to 2236.3 µg kg(-1). The entire procedure was shown to be effective and conveniently fast, and may serve as an alternative screening protocol for the determination of PAHs in CHMs.

[Simultaneous determination of cyhexatin, triphenyltin and fenbutatin oxide residues in fruits and vegetables by Grignard derivatization and gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry].

A method for the simultaneous determination of cyhexatin, triphenyltin and fenbutatin oxide residues in fruits and vegetables was developed by Grignard derivatization and gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The samples were firstly digested by HC1/THF (1 :10, v/v), then extracted by hexane and followed by the derivatization with Grignard reagent (EtMgBr). Then after purification using florisil SPE columns, the sample extracts were finally analyzed by GC-MS/MS. The qualitative and quantitative determinations of the three organotin pesticides were performed by the tandem mass in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. By using apple as a representative matrix, the limits of detection (LODs) obtained by the proposed method for cyhexatin, triphenyltin and fenbutatin oxide were 2. 0, 1. 5 and 3.4 µg/kg (as Sn), respectively. The average recoveries for the three organotin pesticides were in the range of 72.4%-107. 1% at the spiked levels of 10, 20, 50 and 200 µg/kg (as Sn) and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranged from 0. 4% to 14. 2%. The proposed method was validated to have good linearity, high sensitivity, selectivity and accuracy for the simultaneous determination of cyhexatin, triphenyltin and fenbutatin oxide in fruits and vegetables. The sensitivity of this method can meet the requirements of the inspection for the three organotin pesticides at the level of maximum residue limits (MRLs) set by China and some other countries.

Determination of methyltin compounds in urine of occupationally exposed and general population by in situ ethylation and headspace SPME coupled with GC-FPD.

A method for the determination of methyltin compounds in human urine samples was developed using headspace solid-phase microextration (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatographic separation and flame photometric detection. Three methyltin compounds, monomethyltin (MMT), dimethyltin (DMT), and trimethyltin (TMT) were in situ ethylated by sodium tetraethylborate (NaBEt(4)) for SPME and GC-FPD analysis. Under the optimized condition, the detection limits of MMT, DMT, and TMT were 8.1, 2.5 and 5.6 ng Sn L(-1), and the relative standard deviations were 11.0%, 7.3% and 4.0%, respectively. Methyltin compounds in thirteen urine samples from occupationally exposed population and two from general population were analyzed by the proposed method. The concentrations of total methyltin in the tested urine samples of occupationally exposed population ranged from 26.0 to 7892 ng Sn L(-1), and the average level is higher than those of the two non-occupationally exposed individuals. The methyltins in urine were adjusted by osmolality in order to enhance the comparability of different urine samples and the feasibility of this correction method was validated.