Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry fingerprinting of beer

After just simple degassing, dilution, pH adjustment and direct flow injection, characteristic fingerprint spectra of beer samples have been obtained by fast (few seconds) electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis in both the negative and positive ion modes. A total of 29 samples belonging to the two main beer types (lagers and ales) and several beer subtypes from USA, Europe and Brazil could be clearly divided into three groups both by simple visual inspection of their ESI(+)-MS and ESI(-)-MS fingerprints as well as by chemometric treatment of the MS data. Diagnostic ions with contrasting relative abundances in both the positive and negative ion modes allow classification of beers into three major types: P = pale (light) colored (pilsener, pale ale), D = dark colored (bock, stout, porter, mild ale) and M = malt beer. For M beers, samples of a dark and artificially sweetened caramel beer produced in Brazil and known as Malzbiers were used. ESI-MS/MS on these diagnostic beer cations and anions, most of which are characterized as arising from ionization of simple sugars, oligosaccharides, and iso-alpha-acids, yield characteristic tandem mass spectra adding a second and optional MS dimension for improved selectivity for beer characterization by fingerprinting. Direct ESI-MS or ESI-MS/MS analysis can therefore provide fast and reliable fingerprinting characterization of beers, distinguishing between types with different chemical compositions. Other unusual polar components, impurities or additives, as well as fermentation defects or degradation products, could eventually be detected, making the technique promising for beer quality control.     

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry: a key analytical tool for the characterization of regioselectively derivatized maltooligosaccharides obtained starting from natural beta-cyclodextrin

The development of natural cyclodextrins (CDs) for various industrial applications (agroalimentary, cosmetic or pharmaceutical) constitutes a continuous challenge. For the integration of these agricultural plant products in the creation of super-absorbent biodegradable and hypoallergenic materials (water-retaining agents, cosmetic hydrating and texturing, pharmaceutical and horticultural products) to replace synthetic polymers, we have developed chemical methods to access regioselectively C-6-derivatized maltooligosaccharides starting from CDs. These compounds are highly suitable for further chemical modifications and are expected to give access to a new class of polymeric materials with potential applications such as water-retaining agents in the disposable nappies industry. For the structural analysis of carbohydrates, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) offers precise results, analytical versatility and very high sensitivity. We report herein the rapid and convenient follow-up of chemical reactions, the purity evaluation of intermediates and final products, and the structural characterization of derivatized maltooligosaccharides, obtained by acidic cleavage (acetolysis) of halogenated and esterified CDs, using ESI-MS in combination with the high-resolution (HRMS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) capabilities of a quadrupole orthogonal time-of-flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometer.     

Study of Chromatographic Fingerprint of the Flavor in Beer by HS-SPME-GC

The chromatographic fingerprint of the flavor in beer, which was obtained by analyzing 28 beer samples (6 tastes) from 4 breweries, was established by Headspace Solid-phase Microextraction coupled with Gas Chromatogram Flame Ionization Detector (HS-SPME-GC-FID). After Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Clustering Analysis (HCA) were used to process the GC data, not only could 28 beer samples be classified into three main types (draft beer, traditional beer, and dark beer), but also the same main type of beer samples could be further classified individually according to the breweries and tastes. In addition, 18 volatile compounds were identified by Gas Chromatogram Mass Spectrum (GC-MS). The results showed that HS-SPME-GC-FID was convenient, rapid, and precise in classifying beer samples according to different main types, breweries, and even tastes. Therefore, the method established in this paper was potential to be used for the identification of beer types and even the quality control of beer.     

A survey of ochratoxin A and aflatoxins in domestic and imported beers in Japan by immunoaffinity and liquid chromatography.

Analyses of ochratoxin A (OTA) and aflatoxins (AFs) in 94 imported beer samples from 31 producing countries and in 22 Japanese beer samples were performed by immunoaffinity column and reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) with fluorescence detection. Recoveries of OTA from beer samples spiked at 25 and 250 pg/mL were 86.1 and 88.2%, respectively. Recoveries of AFs were 98.4 and 98.9%, 95.4 and 95.5%, 101.2 and 97.8%, and 98.9 and 96.0%, respectively, from beer samples spiked at 4.1 and 41 pg AF B1, 4.45 and 44.5 pg AF B2, 4.7 and 47 pg AF G1, and 4.65 and 46.5 pg AF G2/mL. Detection limits were 1.0 pg/mL for OTA, 0.5 pg/mL for AFs B1 and B2, and 1.0 pg/mL for AFs G1 and G2. OTA was detected in 86 (91.5%) of 94 imported beer samples at a mean level of 10.1 pg/mL and in 21 (95.5%) of 22 Japanese beer samples at a mean level of 12.5 pg/mL. AF B1 was detected in 11 of 94 imported beer samples at a level of 0.5-83.1 pg/mL and in 2 of 22 Japanese beer samples at 0.5 and 0.8 pg/mL. Except for one beer sample from Peru, the samples contaminated with AFs were also contaminated with OTA. Although OTA was detected in most samples from various countries, AFs were detected in the beer samples from only a limited number of countries where AF contamination might be expected to occur because of their warm climate.     

Application of artificial neural network in food classification

Artificial neural network (ANN) classifiers have been successfully implemented for various quality inspection and grading tasks of diverse food products. ANN are very good pattern classifiers because of their ability to learn patterns that are not linearly separable and concepts dealing with uncertainty, noise and random events. In this research, the ANN was used to build the classification model based on the relevant features of beer. Samples of the same brand of beer but with varying manufacturing dates, originating from miscellaneous manufacturing lots, have been represented in the multidimensional space by data vectors, which was an assembly of 12 features (% of alcohol, pH, % of CO(2) etc.). The classification has been performed for two subsets, the first that included samples of good quality beer and the other containing samples of unsatisfactory quality. ANN techniques allowed the discrimination between qualities of beer samples with up to 100% of correct classifications.     

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry fingerprinting of whisky: immediate proof of origin and authenticity

Authentic samples of whisky produced in Scotland and USA and counterfeit whisky samples commercialized in Brazil have been directly submitted to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis in both the negative and positive ion modes to assess the potential of this technique for simple and rapid quality control and proof of authenticity of whisky samples. ESI in the negative ion mode yields the most characteristic whisky fingerprinting mass spectra in just a few seconds by direct infusion of the samples, detecting the most polar or acidic components of each sample in their deprotonated anionic forms. No pre-treatment of the sample, such as extraction or derivatization or even dilution, is required. The analysis of the ESI(-)-MS data both by simple visual inspection but more particularly by chemometric data treatment enables separation of the whisky samples into three unequivocally distinct groups: Scotch, American and counterfeit whisky, whereas single malt and blended Scotch whiskies are also distinguished to some extent. As indicated by ESI-MS/MS analysis, the diagnostic anions are simple sugars, disaccharides and phenolic compounds. Direct infusion ESI-MS therefore provides immediate chemical fingerprinting of whisky samples for type, origin and quality control, as demonstrated herein for American, Scottish and counterfeit samples, whereas ESI-MS/MS analysis of diagnostic ions adds a second dimension of fingerprinting characterization when improved selectivity is desired.     

The Famous Amazonian Rosewood Essential Oil: Characterization and Adulteration Monitoring by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry Fingerprinting

Direct infusion of samples via electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is shown to characterize unequivocally genuine samples of Amazonian Aniba rosaeodora Ducke (Rosewood) essential oils obtained either from the wood or leafs. The ESI-MS also distinguishes the essential oils from synthetic linalool; hence, adulteration by the synthetic oil is also clearly detected. The analysis requires no pretreatment or preseparation, and the most polar components of the essential oil are extracted with an acidified 1:1 methanol/water solution. This simple extract is then analyzed by direct infusion ESI-MS in the positive ion mode, which provides characteristic fingerprintings of the sample composition. The ESI-MS fingerprinting can be used therefore as a simple and fast (few minutes) method for authenticity and quality control of this famous Amazonian essential oil.     

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry fingerprinting of propolis

Crude ethanolic extracts of propolis, a natural resin, have been directly analysed using electrospray ionization mass (ESI-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) in the negative ion mode. European, North American and African samples have been analyzed, but emphasis has been given to Brazilian propolis which displays diverse and region-dependent chemical composition. ESI-MS provides characteristic fingerprint mass spectra, with propolis samples being divided into well-defined groups directly related to their geographical origins. Chemometric multivariate analysis statistically demonstrates the reliability of the ESI-MS fingerprinting method for propolis. On-line ESI-MS/MS tandem mass spectrometry of characteristic [M - H](-) ion markers provides an additional dimension of fingerprinting selectivity, while structurally characterizing the ESI-MS marker components of propolis. By comparison with standards, eight such markers have been identified: para-coumaric acid, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxycinnamaldehyde, 2,2-dimethyl-6-carboxyethenyl-2H-1-benzopyran, 3-prenyl-4-hydroxycinnamic acid, chrysin, pinocembrin, 3,5-diprenyl-4-hydroxycinnamic acid and dicaffeoylquinic acid. The negative mode ESI-MS fingerprinting method is capable of discerning distinct composition patterns to typify, to screen the sample origin and to reveal characteristic details of the more polar and acidic chemical components of propolis samples from different regions of the world.     

Magnetic mixed hemimicelles solid-phase extraction of xanthohumol in beer coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography determination

In this study, silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles (Fe(3)O(4)/SiO(2) NPs) modified by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were synthesized. They were successfully applied for extraction of xanthohumol in beer based on magnetic mixed hemimicelles solid-phase extraction (MMHSPE) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet determination. The main factors influencing the extraction efficiency including the surfactant amount, the beer pH, the extraction time, the desorption condition and the maximum extraction beer volume were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, a concentration factor of 60 was achieved by extracting 120 mL beer sample using MMHSPE and the detection limit of xanthohumol is 0.0006 mg/L. The proposed method was successfully applied for determination of xanthohumol in various beer samples with the xanthohumol contents in the range of 0.031-0.567 mg/L. The satisfactory recoveries (90-103%) were obtained in analyzing spiked beer samples.     

Gas chromatographic determination of pesticide residues in malt, spent grains, wort, and beer with electron capture detection and mass spectrometry

A method for the simultaneous determination of 9 pesticides (dinitroanilines, organophosphorus, triazoles, and pyrimidines) in several products (malt, spent grains, wort, and beer) of the beer industry is reported. Solid samples (malt and spent grains) are extracted by homogenization with a water-hexane mixture, and the pesticides are partitioned with dichloromethane. Liquid samples (wort and beer) are extracted by sonication with a hexane-dichloromethane mixture. Determination of pesticide residues was made by capillary gas chromatography with an electron capture detector (ECD). Confirmation of the compounds was performed by gas chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry in the selected ion monitoring mode. Detection limits for GC-ECD varied from 0.2 to 5.5 pg for trifluralin and malathion, respectively. Recoveries of the pesticides from spiked samples ranged from 81.2 to 113.7% with a relative standard deviation between 3.4-7.5%. The method presents good linearity over the studied range (0.005-2 microg/mL). The proposed method is rapid and reliable and can be useful for routine monitoring during brewing.     

The influence of additives on beer stability investigated by EPR spectroscopy

In thermally-accelerated aging followed by EPR spectroscopy of beer samples of various stabilities, free radical 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPOL) was shown to be an effective indicator of the breakdown of a sample's stability, comparable to the commonly used spin trapping agent alpha-phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN). Both indicators were then employed to investigate the influence of additives on beer stability. The addition of L-ascorbic acid (ASC) to the beer samples accelerated the radical processes and a lower stability was found. DL-alpha-tocopherol (alpha-TOC) did not influence beer stability significantly (probably due to its limited solubility). Na2SO3, described as a very effective stabilizer in experiments with the PBN spin trap, was found not to be effective using the TEMPOL indicator. This is probably due to inhibition in the formation of spin adducts or their degradation by Na2SO3.     

合成产物PEPAMP及其副产物的电喷雾串联质谱分析

PEPAMP是应用于工业循环水中的新一代高效阻垢剂.采用电喷雾电离质谱和质谱/质谱技术分析了合成产物,注射泵直接进样,正离子方式检测,方法简便、快速.通过EI-MS技术获得了目标产物PEPAMP及主要副产物的准分子离子峰,通过ESI-MS-MS技术获得了其碎片信息,并对目标化合物及主要副产物进行了精确质量测定,确定了目标化合物及主要副产物的结构.     

啤酒主要成分的近红外光谱法测定

根据近红外光谱的振动吸收强度与有机分子官能团含量的线性关系,用偏最小二乘法,对啤酒的近红外光谱与其中的酒精度、原麦汁浓度以及总酸含量等3种主要成分进行了线性回归,并建立起相关的模型。用该模型对未知啤酒样品中的上述3种成分的含量进行预测,取得了令人非常满意的结果。可望作为啤酒厂的一种快捷而准确的检测方法予以推广。     

Electrospray mass spectrometry and supercritical fluid chromatography of methylated beta-cyclodextrins.

Five commercial dimethylated beta-cyclodextrin (DM-beta-CD) samples were analysed by electrospray (or ionspray) mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) with evaporative light scattering detection. A silica and a nitro-bonded silica were selected using CO2-methanol-acetonitrile-water and CO2-methanol as mobile phase, respectively. An extensive optimisation scheme was performed for mobile phase selection. Both SFC systems were used for analyses of complex DM-beta-CD samples. Peak identifications were made using off-line ESI-MS. Commercial DM-beta-CDs are impure mixtures of homologues and isomers and analysis reveals that every manufacturer produces a different mixture.     

GC-MS法检测生物检材中的白酒和啤酒

用GC-MS法分析白酒和啤酒中的成分,统计出白酒、啤酒的各自特征成分并加以比较。对添加不同量白酒、啤酒及白酒与啤酒混合物的胃内容物进行检验,对饮用不同量白酒、啤酒及白酒与啤酒混合物的人员分别采集血样进行检验,统计并总结出胃内容物及血液中白酒、啤酒的区分检验方法。当生物检材中乙醇含量大于0．3mg／mL时,利用该方法可以区分检材中的白酒和啤酒。     

Metal-ligand solution equilibria studied by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry: effect of instrumental parameters

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is being increasingly employed in the study of metal-ligand equilibria in aqueous solution. In the present work, the ESI-MS spectral changes due to different settings of the following instrumental parameters are analyzed: the solution flow rate (F(S)), the nebulizer gas flow rate (F(G)), the sprayer potential (E), and the temperature of the entrance capillary (T). Twenty-eight spectra were obtained for each of six samples containing aluminum(III) and 2,3-dihydroxypyridine at various pH, in the absence or in the presence of a buffer and of sodium ions. Among the considered instrumental parameters, T produced the largest effects on the ionic intensities. F(S) and F(G) affected the ESI-MS spectra to a lower extent than T. In the investigated conditions E had the weakest effects on the spectra.The correlations observed between the ionic intensities and these instrumental parameters were interpreted considering the presence of three kinds of perturbations occurring in the ESI-MS ion source: formation of some dimers in the droplets, different transfer efficiencies from the droplets to the gas phase for different complexes (according to their surface activity), and subsequent partial thermal decomposition of the dimers and of one of the monomeric complexes in the gas phase. Our results show that the evaluation of the effects produced in the ESI-MS spectra by a change of instrumental parameters can allow to identify the perturbations occurring when metal-ligand solutions are studied by ESI-MS.     

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry fingerprinting of perfumes: Rapid classification and counterfeit detection

A fast procedure to classify perfumes and identify counterfeit samples is described. Dilution of a few microL of the sample in a 1:1 methanol/water solution is followed by detection of its major polar components via direct infusion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) in the positive ion mode. As proof-of-principle cases, three famous brands of perfumes were used. The ESI+-MS fingerprints of authentic samples were very characteristic, showing distinctive sets of polar markers for each sample. Principal component analysis (PCA) placed samples of the three perfume brands in well-defined groups. Counterfeit samples were also clearly detected owing to contrasting ESI-MS fingerprints, with PCA placing these samples far away from the authentic samples.     

Decision trees in selection of featured determined food quality

The determination of food quality, authenticity and the detection of adulterations are problems of increasing importance in food chemistry. Recently, chemometric classification techniques and pattern recognition analysis methods for wine and other alcoholic beverages have received great attention and have been largely used. Beer is a complex mixture of components: on one hand a volatile fraction, which is responsible for its aroma, and on the other hand, a non-volatile fraction or extract consisting of a great variety of substances with distinct characteristics. The aim of this study was to consider parameters which contribute to beer differentiation according to the quality grade. Chemical (e.g. pH, acidity, dry extract, alcohol content, CO(2) content) and sensory features (e.g. bitter taste, color) were determined in 70 beer samples and used as variables in decision tree techniques. This pattern recognition techniques applied to the dataset were able to extract information useful in obtaining a satisfactory classification of beer samples according to their quality grade. Feature selection procedures indicated which features are the most discriminating for classification.     

Direct analysis of herbal powders by pipette-tip electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Conventional electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is widely used for analysis of solution samples. The development of solid-substrate ESI-MS allows direct ionization analysis of bulky solid samples. In this study, we developed pipette-tip ESI-MS, a technique that combines pipette tips with syringe and syringe pump, for direct analysis of herbal powders, another common form of samples. We demonstrated that various herbal powder samples, including herbal medicines and food samples, could be readily online extracted and analyzed using this technique. Various powder samples, such as Rhizoma coptidis, lotus plumule, great burdock achene, black pepper, Panax ginseng, roasted coffee beans, Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis and Fructus Schisandrae Sphenantherae, were analyzed using pipette-tip ESI-MS and quality mass spectra with stable and durable signals could be obtained. Both positive and negative ion modes were attempted and various compounds including amino acids, oligosaccharides, glycosides, alkaloids, organic acids, ginosensides, flavonoids and lignans could be detected. Principal component analysis (PCA) based on the acquired mass spectra allowed rapid differentiation of closely related herbal species.     

Complexation between the fungicide tebuconazole and copper(II) probed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is used to probe the complex formation between tebuconazole (1) and copper(II) salts, which both are commonly used fungicides in agriculture. Experiments with model solutions containing 1 and CuCl(2) reveal the initial formation of the copper(II) species [(1)CuCl](+) and [(1)(2)CuCl](+) which undergo reduction to the corresponding copper(I) ions [(1)Cu](+) and [(1)(2)Cu](+) under more drastic ionization conditions in the ESI source. In additional experiments, copper/tebuconazole complexes were also detected in samples made from soil solutions of various origin and different amount of mineralization. The direct sampling of such solutions via ESI-MS is thus potentially useful for understanding of the interactions between copper(II) salts and tebuconazole in environmental samples.