Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric determination of epoxidized soybean oil contamination of foods by migration from plastic packaging

A method for the quantitative determination of epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO) in foods is described. The procedure involves addition of a diepoxidized fatty acid ester internal standard, followed by lipid extraction from the food and transmethylation under basic conditions. Without further cleanup, the methylated fatty acid epoxides are derivatized to form 1,3-dioxolanes, which are then determined by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring. A detection limit of 2.0 mg/kg of epoxidized soybean oil in foods and a relative standard deviation of 7% have been achieved routinely. The method has been applied successfully to the analysis of cheeses, sandwiches, cakes, and microwave-cooked meals which have been contaminated with ESBO by migration from PVC film.     

Accelerated solvent extraction of alkylresorcinols in food products containing uncooked and cooked wheat

This research focuses on the overall extraction process of alkylresorcinols (ARs) from uncooked grains and baked products that have been processed with wheat, corn, rice, and white flour. Previously established extraction methods developed by Ross and colleagues, as well as a semiautomated method involving accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), were applied to extract ARs within freshly ground samples. For extraction of alkylresorcinols, nonpolar solvents such as ethyl acetate have been recommended for the extraction of uncooked foods, and polar solvents such as 1-propanol:water (3:1 v/v) have been recommended for the extraction of baked foods that contain rye, wheat, or other starch-rich grains. A comparison of AR extraction methods has been investigated with the application of gas chromatography and a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) to quantify the AR content. The goal of this research was to compare the rapid accelerated solvent extraction of the alkylresorcinols (ASE-AR) method to the previous manual AR extraction methods. Results for this study as well as the investigation of the overall efficiency of ASE-AR extraction with the use of a spiking study indicated that it can be comparable to current extraction methods but with less time required. Furthermore, the extraction time for ASE (approximately 40 min) is much more convenient and less tedious and time-consuming than previously established methods, which range from 5 h for processed foods to 24 h for raw grains.     

Accelerated solvent extraction and confirmatory analysis of sulfonamide residues in raw meat and infant foods by liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry

This paper describes a new method for the rapid extraction and unequivocal confirmation of 13 sulfonamides (SAs) in raw meat and infant foods. The highly automated extraction procedure is based on accelerated solvent extraction followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) as a confirmatory analysis. After 1 g of food matrix was blended with 2 g of C18 as a solid support material, the mixture was packed into the extraction cell and the SAs were extracted with 10 mL of hot water at 160 degrees C and 100 atm; 100 microL of the extract was directly injected into the LC-MS system. The analytes were ionized in an electrospray interface operating in the positive ion mode and were identified by selecting two multireaction monitoring transitions, which guaranteed method specificity. Typical recoveries from crude meat and baby food samples ranged from 70 to 101% at a fortification level of 100 ppb, corresponding to the maximum residue limits established by the European Union and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The interday method precision was less than 8.5%, and the limits of detection were below 2.6 ppb. This study has taken matrix-induced suppression of ionization into account, by comparing standard and matrix-matched calibration curves. Four of the 13 monitored SAs have been detected in some baby foods and raw meat samples, bought from Roman supermarkets and butchers' shops, using the described methodology.     

Improved method for determination and identification of serotonin in foods

A previously described method to identify and quantitate serotonin in foods has been improved. The extraction and separation of serotonin from interfering substances has been improved, and the scope of material to which the method may be applied has been widened. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for repeated determinations of serotonin in canned fried tomato purée and the average recovery of serotonin added to the same sample was 6.25 and 89.9%, respectively. The method showed the presence of serotonin in apricots, cherries, and peaches.     

Quantification of the predominant monomeric catechins in baking chocolate standard reference material by LC/APCI-MS

Catechins are polyphenolic plant compounds (flavonoids) that may offer significant health benefits to humans. These benefits stem largely from their anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, and antimutagenic properties. Recent epidemiological studies suggest that the consumption of flavonoid-containing foods is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Chocolate is a natural cocoa bean-based product that reportedly contains high levels of monomeric, oligomeric, and polymeric catechins. We have applied solid-liquid extraction and liquid chromatography coupled with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry to the identification and determination of the predominant monomeric catechins, (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin, in a baking chocolate Standard Reference Material (NIST Standard Reference Material 2384). (+)-Catechin and (-)-epicatechin are detected and quantified in chocolate extracts on the basis of selected-ion monitoring of their protonated [M + H](+) molecular ions. Tryptophan methyl ester is used as an internal standard. The developed method has the capacity to accurately quantify as little as 0.1 microg/mL (0.01 mg of catechin/g of chocolate) of either catechin in chocolate extracts, and the method has additionally been used to certify (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin levels in the baking chocolate Standard Reference Material. This is the first reported use of liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry for the quantitative determination of monomeric catechins in chocolate and the only report certifying monomeric catechin levels in a food-based Standard Reference Material.     

Determination of trace levels of bromate in flour and related foods by ion chromatography

In this paper, a method of determining trace levels of bromate in flour and related foods by ion chromatography with large volume injection has been proposed. The detection of bromate was performed with a suppressed conductivity detector after separation on an IonPac AS19 column with KOH as the gradient eluent. Parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of bromate, such as the flour-to-water ratio, extraction time, and temperature, were studied in detail. The optimized pretreatment process was then selected. By using the large volume injection technique, the solution detection limit was decreased to 0.5 microg/L. The linear range of this method was from 5 to 1000 microg/L, and the linear correlation coefficient was 0.9998. The method has been applied to the detection of bromate in flour and related foods, and different concentration levels of bromate were detected in various samples. The spiked recoveries ranged from 86 to 110%. The relative standard deviation (RSD) of the bromate peak height for the seven successive injections of the flour sample was 6.4%.     

Normal phase high-performance liquid chromatography method for the determination of tocopherols and tocotrienols in cereals

The eight vitamers of vitamin E (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-tocopherols and -tocotrienols) have different antioxidant and biological activities and have different distributions in foods. Some cereals, especially oat, rye, and barley, are good sources of tocotrienols. A fast procedure for the determination of tocopherols and tocotrienols (tocols) in cereal foods was developed. It involves sample saponification and extraction followed by normal phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results have been compared with those found by direct extraction without saponification. The method is sensitive and selective enough to be tested on a wide variety of cereal samples. The highest tocol levels were found in soft wheat and barley ( approximately 75 mg/kg of dry weight). beta-Tocotrienol is the main vitamer found in hulled and dehulled wheats (from 33 to 43 mg/kg of dry weight), gamma-tocopherol predominates in maize (45 mg/kg of dry weight) ), and alpha-tocotrienol predominates in oat and barley (56 and 40 mg/kg of dry weight, respectively).     

Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of epoxidized soybean oil in food products

Epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO) is widely used as a plasticizer and stabilizer in such polymers [poly(vinyl chloride) in particular] commonly adopted for manufacturing of gaskets of the lids for glass jars and plastic films for food packaging. Human exposure to ESBO and its derivatives is likely to occur over a lifetime with a significant variation according to life stage. A reversed phase liquid chromatography interfaced with electrospray ion trap tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of ESBO in foods was developed. A simple sample treatment procedure entailing the use of an extraction step with dichloromethane without any further cleanup was proved. Chromatographic separation was performed using two C18 columns with an aqueous acetic acid-acetone-acetonitrile mixture as the mobile phase under gradient conditions. The method was validated in terms of detection limits (4 mg kg(-1)), quantitation limits, linearity (established over 2 orders of magnitude), recovery (good mean recoveries, higher than 90% for all of the signals detected), precision (RSD% < 8), and trueness. The applicability of the method to the determination of ESBO in different food matrices (in particular those rich in edible oil) was demonstrated, and the performances were compared to those reachable by the commonly well-known gas chromatography-mass spectrometry procedure.     

Atomic absorption spectrophotometric determination of cobalt in foods

A method is described for the determination of cobalt in foods. After wet digestion, iron in the sample is removed by liquid-liquid extraction, and cobalt is isolated and extracted. Final determination is done by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Analysis of NBS reference materials by this procedure gives results in close agreement with certified values. The limit of quantitation is 4.3 ng/mL. Recovery studies and analysis of standard materials show that this method is reliable.     

Determination of nitrate in dried foods by gas chromatography-thermal energy analyzer

The method described for determining NO3- in dried foods is based on extraction of NO3- from the sample with subsequent nitration of benzene. The nitrobenzene is extracted with ethyl acetate, analyzed by using a gas chromatograph-thermal energy analyzer (GC-TEA), and quantitated against a nitrobenzene standard. Sensitivity is 100-200 micrograms/kg. Coefficients of variation for analyses of dried foods were 3-13%. Recovery of NO3- from nonfat dry milk spiked at 10 mg/kg averaged 100%.     

Gas chromatographic-thermal energy analysis method for determination of volatile N-nitrosamines in baby bottle rubber nipples: collaborative study

A collaborative study was conducted on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) dichloromethane extraction method for determining volatile N-nitrosamines in baby bottle rubber nipples. Following dichloromethane extraction, N-nitrosamines were determined by gas chromatography-thermal energy analysis. Six pairs of blind duplicate rubber nipple samples representing 6 lots were analyzed by 11 collaborating laboratories. All samples were portions taken from equilibrated composites of cut-up rubber nipples obtained from manufacturers in the United States. Recoveries of the internal standard (N-nitrosodipropylamine) at approximately 20 ppb ranged from 10 to 120%. Reproducibility relative standard deviations (RSDx) were between 35 and 45% for N-nitrosamine levels from 10 to 20 ppb. However, when data from laboratories with recoveries less than 75% were excluded (this is now specified in the method), RSDx values were between 11 and 32% for N-nitrosamine levels from 6 to 26 ppb. Values were consistent with or better than those reported for other analytical techniques designed to quantitate trace contaminants at the low ppb level, e.g., aflatoxin in foods. The method has been adopted official first action for the quantitation of volatile N-nitrosamines in baby bottle rubber nipples.     

Rugged LC-MS/MS survey analysis for acrylamide in foods

The described liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the detection of acrylamide in food entails aqueous room temperature extraction, SPE cleanup, and analysis by LC-MS/MS. The method is applicable to a wide variety of foods. [(13)C(3)]acrylamide is the internal standard. The limit of quantitation is 10 ppb (microg/kg). Data were obtained in duplicate from >450 products representing >35 different food types. The variability in analyte levels in certain food types suggests that it may be possible to reduce acrylamide levels in those foods.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of cimetidine in whole blood and plasma by using short polymeric reverse phase column

A rapid and simple reverse phase liquid chromatographic method for the separation and quantitation of the H2-receptor antagonist drug cimetidine in human whole blood and plasma is described. The method involves a single step organic extraction of the drug from alkalinized biological samples followed by a salting-out of the organic solvent by an appropriate salt. A short column packed with polymeric reverse phase particles was used with an isocratic elution of 20mM potassium phosphate (pH = 9.5) and acetonitrile (87.5 + 12.5). The cimetidine was monitored at 210 nm and 0.10-0.005 absorbance unit full scale (AUFS). The relative standard deviation (%) for analysis was reproducible within 1 day and that for day-to-day analysis was 5 (n = 8) or lower.     

Determination of phytic acid and inositol pentakisphosphates in foods by high-performance ion chromatography

A high-performance anion exchange chromatographic method was adapted for the quantitative determination of phytic acid and inositol pentakisphosphate isomers (excluding enantiomers) in foods. Because of the cost and limited availability of inositol phosphate standards, a phytic acid sodium salt standard was used for the calculation of an average relative response factor for the quantification of inositol pentakisphosphate isomers, and the purity of phytic acid sodium salt standard was also accurately established. The detection limits (S/N = 3) for phytic acid and inositol pentakisphosphates were in the range of 1.5-3.4 microM (0.1-0.2 microg/100 microL). This method has been successfully applied to the determination of phytic acid and inositol pentakisphosphates in a variety of beans and nuts after extraction with 0.5 M HCl and cleanup with solid phase extraction cartridges. The results demonstrated that there was a strong correlation between either the phytic acid content or the total content of phytic acid together with inositol pentakisphosphates and the total dietary fiber content in the group of all raw dry beans and in the group of raw dry black beans but not in the group of raw dry red kidney beans, which was probably due to the insufficient number of the raw dry red kidney bean samples.     

Colorimetric deoxyribonucleic acid hybridization assay for rapid screening of Salmonella in foods: collaborative study

A collaborative study was performed in 11 laboratories to validate a colorimetric DNA hybridization (DNAH) method for rapid detection of Salmonella in foods. The method was compared to the standard culture method for detection of Salmonella in nonfat dry milk, milk chocolate, soy isolate, dried whole egg, ground black pepper, and raw ground turkey. Samples inoculated with high (0.4-2 cells/g) and low (0.04-0.2 cells/g) levels of Salmonella and uninoculated control samples were included in each food group analyzed. There was no significant difference in the proportion of samples positive by DNAH and culture procedure for any of the 6 foods. The colorimetric DNA hybridization assay screening method has been adopted official first action as a rapid screening method for detection of Salmonella in all foods.     

Enzyme immunoassay for detection of Salmonella in low-moisture foods: collaborative study

A collaborative study was performed in 15 laboratories to evaluate a modification of the enzyme immunoassay (EIA) method for detection of Salmonella in foods (46.B21-46.B29). The modified EIA requires 18-24 h pre-enrichment, 6-8 h selective enrichment, and 14-18 h M-broth post-enrichment prior to performing the assay, which requires 1-2 h. Total assay time is 40-52 h. The modified method was compared with the standard culture method for detection of Salmonella in 5 low-moisture foods: nonfat dry milk, milk chocolate, meat and bone meal, dry whole egg, and ground pepper. The modified method has been adopted official first action for use with low-moisture foods.     

Determination of total dietary fiber in Japanese foods.

Total dietary fiber was determined in Japanese foods by the Prosky-AOAC method. To accomplish the analyses of unsuitable samples, we introduced a few minor modifications to the versions for (i) seaweed and fruits, (ii) cereals, and (iii) fish and meats. These modified methods were used together with the standard method to obtain results with reasonably good relative standard deviation for 231 foods and 21 groups of mixed foods. In this study, dietary fiber was defined so as not to exclude the nondigestible polysaccharide portions of animal foods. A method was proposed which could estimate more accurately the fiber components of animal foods by measuring the "nondigestible protein" of the fiber sample of the fiber sample by the Biuret colorimetric method, instead of the Kjeldahl method, to avoid deducting the values for aminopolysaccharides. In Japanese diets, the amount of fiber obtained from animals foods was less than 5% of the total intake of dietary fiber.     

DNA hybridization assay for detection of Salmonella in foods: collaborative study

A collaborative study was performed in 11 laboratories to validate a DNA hybridization (DNAH) procedure for detection of Salmonella in foods. The DNAH procedure was compared to the standard culture method for detection of Salmonella in 6 foods: ground pepper, soy flour, dry whole egg, milk chocolate, nonfat dry milk, and raw deboned turkey. With the exception of turkey which was naturally contaminated, uninoculated and inoculated samples of each food group were analyzed. Results for the DNAH method were significantly better than for the standard culture method at the 5% probability level for the detection of Salmonella in turkey. There was no significant difference between the methods for the other 5 foods. The method has been adopted official first action.     

Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric determination of selenium in foods and diets

The validity of 2 electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometric methods for determination of selenium in foods and diets was tested. By using 0.5% Ni(II) as a matrix modifier to prevent selenium losses during the ashing step, it was shown that selenium can be determined in samples containing greater than or equal to 1 microgram Se/g dry wt without organic extraction. The mean recovery tested, using NBS Bovine Liver, was 98%; recovery of added inorganic selenium in Bovine Liver matrix was 100%. In addition, this method gave values closest to the median value of all participating laboratories using hydride generation AAS or the spectrofluorometric method in a collaborative study on high selenium wheat, flour, and toast samples. For samples with concentrations less than 1 microgram Se/g dry wt, separation of selenium from interfering Fe and P ions by organic extraction was necessary. Using inorganic 75Se in meat and human milk matrixes, an ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate-methyl isobutyl ketone-extraction system with added Cu(II) as a matrix modifier yielded the best extraction recoveries, 97 and 98%, respectively. Accuracy and precision of the method were tested using several official and unofficial biological standard materials. The mean accuracy was within 4% of the certified or best values of the standard materials and the day-to-day variation was 9%. The Se/Fe or Se/P interference limits proved to be low enough not to affect selenium determinations in practically all foods or diets. The practical detection limit of the method was 3 ng Se/g dry wt for 1.0 g dry wt samples.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Fast analysis of nicotine in tobacco using double-shot pyrolysis--gas chromatography--mass spectrometry

A simple, rapid, and sensitive assay of nicotine in tobacco has been developed using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (DSP-GC-MS). The optimum pyrolyzer (desorption) conditions, using Korean tobacco grade B1O (0.4 mg) and n-heptadecane as an internal standard, were found to be heating from 50 to 300 degrees C at a rate of 60 degrees C/min. Replicate determinations (n = 5), on the same tobacco and using n-heptadecane as the internal standard, resulted in a nicotine content of 1.96%, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.9%. This result was in good agreement with those from established methods: the Cai ether extraction method, a chloroform extraction method, and the CORESTA recommended method. However, the DSP method requires less than half the time of the solvent extraction methods, requires less sample, is almost solvent-free, and is less labor-intensive. The DSP method was used to determine the nicotine content of eight flue-cured tobaccos from Brazil, China, Korea, and the United States, which were found to have contents ranging from 1.21 to 2.19%.