[Determination and level investigation of 45 hormones in edible bird's nest by solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

Edible bird's nests (EBNs), a food of animal origin, are temporary nests built by swiftlets to foster their offspring. As EBNs and their products are widely accepted by consumers, the safety of hormones in EBNs has also received increasing attention. The establishment of a method for hormone analysis in EBNs and the investigation of hormone levels based on the analytical method are the most effective measures to eliminate any safety concerns. In this study, a multi-residue method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 45 hormones in EBNs, including estrogens, progesterones, androgens, and cortical hormones. EBN samples (1.0 g) were weighed into 50 mL polypropylene centrifuge tubes and mixed with 8 mL of pure water. Then, the samples were extracted twice with 15 mL of acetonitrile and ethyl acetate (1∶1, v/v) under ultrasonic-assisted conditions for 30 min, and the protein in the EBN samples was precipitated at 4000 r/min for 5 min. The clear supernatants were loaded onto a hydrophilic-lipophilic balanced (HLB) SPE column, which was previously activated with methanol (3 mL) followed by pure water (3 mL). The cartridge was washed with 3 mL of pure water and 3 mL of 50% methanol aqueous solution. The hormones were eluted with 3 mL of methanol. A rapid analysis was performed using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The hormones in the extracting solution were separated on a Phenomenex Kinetex C18 column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 2.6 µm) and eluted by gradient elution with acetonitrile-0.1% formic acid aqueous solution (ESI+) or acetonitrile-water (ESI-). Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed using the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The HPLC-MS/MS results showed good linearity in the range of 0.20-20.0 µg/L with correlation coefficients (R2) ≥0.9990. For the 45 hormones, the limits of detection (LODs, S/N≥3) were 0.04-0.70 µg/kg and the limits of quantification (LOQs, S/N≥10) were 0.16-2.00 µg/kg. The recoveries of five hormones, namely, fluorometholone, budesonide, aldosterone, fluocinonide, and ethinylestradiol, were 40.2%-63.6%. Owing to the low recoveries, this method might be suitable only for qualitative testing of the five hormones. The recoveries of the other 40 target analytes were between 72.2% and 112.3% at spiked levels of 2.0, 4.0, and 20.0 µg/kg with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 2.5%-11.6%. The method is characterized by easy operation, rapidness, high precision, and high sensitivity for the 40 compounds. Thus, this method is suitable for determination of the 40 hormones from EBNs for qualitative testing and quantitation. The proposed method was used to analyze 1021 EBN samples from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam from 2017 to 2021. Only three hormones, progesterone, boldenone, and androstenedione, were identified in the EBN samples, while the levels of the other hormones were lower than their individual LODs. The detected rates of progesterone, boldenone, and androstenedione were 100%, 79%, and 89%, respectively. The contents of progesterone, boldenone, and androstenedione in the EBN samples were 0.097-3.58 µg/kg, 0-0.096 µg/kg and 0-1.77 µg/kg, respectively. The levels of hormones in EBNs were compared with those in eggs, pure milk, and dairy products, which were also animal-derived foods. Androstenedione was detected in all egg samples monitored, and its content was higher than that in EBN samples, pure milk, and dairy products. The content of boldenone was similar among the four products investigated in this study. Based on risk assessment using progesterone, the dietary intake was found to be 3.54 µg/d from milk >1.09 µg/d from eggs >0.0030 µg/d from EBNs. The results showed that the levels of hormones in EBNs were much lower than those in eggs, milk, and dairy products for daily consumption. Based on this investigation, the health effect of the hormones in EBNs may be insignificant.

[Determination of nine N-nitrosamines in animal derived foods by QuEChERS-isotope dilution combined with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

In this study, a comprehensive analytical method based on gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was developed for the determination of nine N-nitrosamines in animal derived foods. There are many kinds of N-nitrosamines in foods that are harmful to human health. However, the national standard GB 5009.26-2016 pertains only to the detection of N-dimethylnitrosamine; there are many drawbacks of this method, such as complicated sample preparation, low recovery rate, and poor reproducibility. Hence, it is of practical significance to establish a method for the simultaneous determination of a variety of N-nitrosamines. The optimal extraction conditions for the developed method were as follows: 10.0 g aliquots of the sample were placed in a 50 mL centrifuge tube, followed by the addition of 10 mL acetonitrile and 200 µL internal working standard solutions. After 30 min of freezing treatment, 4 g magnesium sulfate and 1 g sodium chloride were added for dehydration, and the tube was centrifuged at 9000 r/min for 5 min. After vortex centrifugation, 5 mL of the clear supernatant was purified using 150 mg polystyrene divinylbenzene (PLS-A). The purified extracts were dewatered using 1.6 g MgSO4 and 0.4 g NaCl, and then filtered through a 0.22 µm membrane filter unit prior to GC-MS/MS analysis. Temperature-programmed was applied at an initial temperature of 50 ℃. After 0.16 min, the temperature was raised to 220 ℃ at the rate of 900 ℃/min for 5 min. N-Nitrosamines were separated on an HP-Innowax column (30 m×0.25 mm×0.25 µm). Identification and quantification were achieved using an electron impact ion (EI) source in positive ion mode with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). The internal standard method was used to quantify the N-nitrosamines. Under the optimal conditions, the correlation coefficients of the standard calibration curves were not less than 0.99 in the range of 0.1-50.0 µg/L. The limits of detection were 0.03-0.30 µg/kg (S/N=3), and limits of quantification were 0.15-1.00 µg/kg (S/N=10). At spiked levels of 0.5, 1.0, and 3.0 µg/kg, the average recoveries of N-nitrosamines in spiked samples ranged from 80.4% to 98.5%, with relative standard deviations between 2.41% and 12.50%. This method was used to determine animal derived food products, except N-itrosomethylethylamine and N-nitrosomorpholine, others were founded. The results showed that N-nitrosamines levels in salted aquatic products were generally higher than those of the other samples. The method established in this study is simple to operate, and it does not require any time-consuming distillation extraction. Furthermore, there is minimal consumption of samples and reagents; consequently, the experiment cost is reduced, and the method is environmentally friendly. This method has theoretical and practical significance for the control of N-nitrosamines residues in animal derived foods, establishment of detection standards, and corresponding management measures.

[Determination of trace pentachlorophenol and its sodium salt in animal-origin foods by QuEChERS-ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

A method was developed for the determination of trace pentachlorophenol and its sodium salt in animal-origin foods by modified QuEChERS-ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Sodium pentachlorophenolate in samples was converted to pentachlorophenol under acidic condition. The pentachlorophenol was extracted twice with acetonitrile containing 1% (v/v) acetic acid by ultrasonic extraction. The extracts were purified by dispersive solid-phase extraction. The usages of dispersive sorbents were optimized based on the recoveries and matrix effects. Chromatographic analysis was conducted on a Waters Acquity UPLC HSS T3 column with gradient elution. The pentachlorophenol was further analyzed by negative electrospray ionization under the multiple reaction monitoring mode. The recoveries at fortification levels of 1.0, 2.0 and 10.0 µg/kg in six matrices (pork, pork liver, chicken, fish, milk and egg) ranged from 73.2% to 108.4% with the relative standard deviations of 4.0%-14.8%. The limits of quantification (S/N>10) were 1.0 µg/kg. The method is simple, sensitive, accurate, economical and environmentally safe, and is suitable for the determination of the trace pentachlorophenol and its sodium salt in animal-origin foods.

Headspace thin-film microextraction coupled with surface-enhanced Raman scattering as a facile method for reproducible and specific detection of sulfur dioxide in wine.

By coupling thin-film microextraction (TFME) with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), a facile method was developed for the determination of sulfur dioxide (SO2), the most effective food additive in winemaking technology. The TFME substrate was made by free settling of sea urchin-like ZnO nanomaterials on a glass sheet. The headspace sampling (HS) procedure for SO2 was performed in a simple homemade device, and then the SO2 was determined using SERS after uniformly dropping or spraying a SERS-active substrate (gold nanoparticles, AuNPs) onto the surface of the TFME substrate. A reproducible and strong SERS response of the SO2 absorbed onto the ZnO substrate was obtained. After condition optimization, the SERS signal intensity at a shift of 600 cm(-1) and the SO2 concentration showed a good linearity in the range of 1-200 µg/mL, and the linear correlation coefficient was 0.992. The detection limit for SO2 was found to be 0.1 µg/mL. The HS-TFME-SERS method was applied for the determination of SO2 in wine, and the results obtained agreed very well with those obtained using the traditional distillation and titration method. Analysis of variance and Student t test show that there is no significant difference between the two methods, indicating that the newly developed method is fast, convenient, sensitive and has selective characteristics in the determination of SO2 in wine.

Determination of 23 phthalic acid esters in food by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

A rapid and sensitive method was developed for the determination of 23 phthalates in food samples including milk-based products, distilled liquor, wine, beverage, grain, meat, oil, biscuit (cookie), and canned food by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Liquid samples were exacted by acetonitrile, while solid samples were prepared by QuEChERS or glass-based SPE methods. The 23 phthalates were separated on Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column and followed by positive electrospray ionization as well as multi-reaction monitoring provided by a triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer. To reduce contamination, the plastic materials were avoided in sample handling and preparation . The LODs were between 0.8 and 15 µg kg(-1) and LOQs were between 10 and 100 µg kg(-1). By using different concentrations: 100, 500, and 1000 µg kg(-1)) for DINP and DIDP; 50, 100, and 1000 µg kg(-1) for other 21 phthalate compounds, the spiked recoveries were within 75.5-115.2% and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were in the range of 3.2-18.9%. The proposed protocol was then applied to the analysis of 623 real samples collected from the two sides of the Taiwan Straits, and the DEHP was found in almost all samples tested in this study, with levels ranging from 0.02 to 2685 mg kg(-1). The present study demonstrated a rapid, sensitive, and accurate method for determining 23 phthalates in foodstuffs.

[Determination of 23 phthalate esters in food by solid-phase extraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry].

A method for the simultaneous determination of 23 phthalate esters in food samples by solid-phase extraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPE-GC-MS) was developed and evaluated. The samples were extracted with hexane or acetonitrile, and cleaned up with a glass ProElut PSA SPE column. The identification and quantification were performed by GC-MS in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The extraction processes of different foods were investigated. The calibration curves of phthalate esters showed good linearity in the range of 0.05-5 mg/L (0.5-5 mg/L for diisononyl phthalate (DINP), diisodecyl-phthalate (DIDP)) with the correlation coefficients (r) between 0.984 8 and 0.999 6. The limits of detection of phthalate esters in food samples ranged from 0.005 to 0.05 mg/kg (S/N = 3) and the limits of quantification ranged from 0.02 to 0.2 mg/kg (S/N = 10). The average recoveries of 23 analytes spiked in 10 kinds of food matrices ranged from 77% to 112% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 6) of 4.1%-12.5%. The method is suitable for the determination of 23 phthalate esters simultaneously in foodstuffs with easy operation, high accuracy and precision.

[Determination of fipronil and its metabolites in tea by solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry].

An effective multi-residue method for the trace analysis of fipronil and four metabolites (fipronil-desulfinyl, fipronil-sulfide, fipronil-sulfone and fipronil-carboxamide) in tea was developed based on solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography (SPME-GC). The targets were extracted with a fused-silica fiber coated with 85 microm polyacrylate (PA). The extraction was performed in a pH 9 buffer (containing 0.1 mol/L boracic acid, 0.1 mol/L KCI and 0.1 mol/L NaOH) at 60 degrees C and under 2500 r/min for 30 min. With the concentration range of 2-10 microg/kg, the recoveries ranged from 71.2% to 109.3% and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were lower than 10% (n = 6). The limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantitation (LOQs) of the studied compounds ranged from 0.3 microg/kg to 1.2 microg/kg and 1.0 microg/kg to 4.0 microg/kg, respectively, with the values well below the residue limits set by Japan, European Union and China. By the proposed method, 1 positive samples of 30 tea samples were found with fipronil and fipronil-sulfone. The identification of the method was done by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The method can be applied as a monitoring tool for tea, in the investigation of food to fipronil and its metabolites.

[Simultaneous determination of macrolide and lincosamide antibiotics in animal feeds by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry].

A method for the simultaneous determination of six macrolide antibiotics (oleandomycin, erythromycin, kitasamycin, josamycin, roxithromycin and tylosin) and two lincosamide antibiotics (lincomycin and clindamycin) in animal feeds by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospary ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) was developed. The macrolide and lincosamide antibiotics were extracted from the feeds with methanol followed by enrichment and clean-up with an Oasis HLB cartridge. The UPLC separation was performed on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column by a gradient elution using 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The identification of eight drugs was carried out by positive electrospray ionization in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, and the quantification analysis was performed by external standard method. The calibration curves showed good linearity in the range of 1-100 microg/L. The average recoveries of the eight drugs from the feeds spiked at 1, 10 and 100 microg/kg levels were between 68.6% and 95.2%, and the relative standard deviations (RSD) were between 4.9% and 11.8%. The limits of quantification (LOQ) of the drugs in the feeds were 1 microg/kg. The method is simple, rapid, sensitive and suitable for the simultaneous determination of macrolide and lincosamide antibiotics in animal feeds.

[Determination of melamine residue in raw milk and dairy products using hydrophilic interaction chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry].

A method for the determination of melamine residue in raw milk and dairy products was developed using hydrophilic interaction chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-ESI-MS/MS). The melamine residue in the test sample was extracted with 1% trichloroacetic acid-acetonitrile (1 : 1, v/v) solution. The homogenate was centrifuged and the supernatant was collected. The extract was cleaned up using a mixed-mode cation exchange (MCX) solid-phase extraction cartridge and then concentrated, and analyzed by HILIC-ESI-MS/MS. The gradient chromatographic separation was performed using a hydrophilic silica column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) with 10 mmol/L ammonium acetate buffer (pH 3.0) and acetonitrile as the mobile phases. Due to its hydrophilic property, melamine was well retained on the column and seperated from other compounds. It effectively reduced matrix effect. A triple quadruple mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source was employed for the qualitative and quantitative measurement of melamine. The melamine was quantified using the fragments produced from the protonated melamine ion through multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) in positive ion mode. Two MRM transitions from the protonated melamine ion (m/z 127 --> 85 and m/z 127 --> 68) were monitored. The average recoveries were between 76.3% and 98.7% in the spiked range of 0.5 to 10 mg/kg in raw milk and dairy products, and the relative standard deviations were less than 6.8%. The linear range was from 0.05 to 10.0 mg/L. The limit of quantification (S/N > 10) was 0.05 mg/kg. The method is highly selective and sensitive for the measurements of melamine and adequate for the analysis of melamine in raw milk and dairy products.