Chromatographic analysis of sugars applied to the characterisation of monofloral honey

The control of the floral quality of honey has become a priority issue as a result of the number of abuses observed and the relative ease of getting around existing control methods. We conducted chromatographic analyses of honey sugars to determine new criteria for authenticating an origin. The work involved creating databases by analysing a large number of authentic honeys from seven monofloral varieties, followed by statistical processing of the results by a principal components analysis. Differences in composition could thus be demonstrated, such as the presence of trisaccharides in fir honey, that provide an additional tool for authenticating unknow commercial honeys.     

Detection of added beet or cane sugar in maple syrup by the site-specific deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance (SNIF-NMR) method: collaborative study

Results of a collaborative study are reported for the detection of added beet or cane sugar in maple syrup by the site-specific natural isotope fractionation-nuclear magnetic resonance (SNIF-NMR) method. The method is based on the fact that the deuterium content at specific positions of the sugar molecules is different in maple syrup from that in beet or cane sugar. The syrup is diluted with pure water and fermented; the alcohol is distilled with a quantitative yield and analyzed with a high-field NMR spectrometer fitted with a deuterium probe and fluorine lock. The proportion of ethanol molecules monodeuterated at the methyl site is recorded. This parameter (D/H)I is decreased when beet sugar is added and increased when cane sugar is added to the maple syrup. The precision of the method for measuring (D/H)I was found to be in good agreement with the values already published for the application of this method to fruit juice concentrates (AOAC Official Method 995.17). An excellent correlation was found between the percentage of added beet sugar and the (D/H)I isotopic ratio measured in this collaborative study. Consequently, all samples in which exogenous sugars were added were found to have a (D/H)I isotopic ratio significantly different from the normal value for an authentic maple syrup. By extension of what is known about plants having the C4 cycle, the method can be applied to corn sweeteners as well as to cane sugar. One limitation of the method is its reduced sensitivity when applied to specific blends of beet and cane sugars or corn sweeteners. In such case, the C13 ratio measurement (see AOAC Official Method 984.23, Corn Syrup and Cane Sugar in Maple Syrup) may be used in conjunction.     

A site-specific and multi-element isotopic approach to origin inference of sugars in foods and beverages

A strategy is presented for the characterization of sugars according to their botanical origin. The samples fermented in standardized conditions can be described in the multi-dimensional space of the overall carbon isotope ratio of ethanol measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and of the specific hydrogen isotope parameters of the methyl and methylene sites derived from nuclear magnetic resonance investigation of site-specific natural isotope fractionation (SNIF-NMR method). In the comparison of natural juices, the deuterium and oxygen-18 parameters of water extracted from the juice and from the end fermentation medium also contain information on the origin of the product. The isotopic effects of the concentration processes leading to concentrated juices, musts and syrups can be estimated and taken into account in interpreting the data.The classification power of this multi-element and multi-site approach is illustrated by discriminant analyses involving selected isotopic variables associated with pineapple, apple and barley sugars, compared to beet and cane sugars which are common sources of enrichment. The ability of the method to detect adulteration by exogeneous sugars is improved when environmental conditions can be taken into account.     

Biochemical and physiological determinants of intramolecular isotope patterns in sucrose from C₃, C₄ and CAM plants accessed by isotopic ¹³C NMR spectrometry: a viewpoint

This paper discusses the biochemical and physiological factors underlying the site-specific, non-random distribution of 13C/12C isotope ratios within plant metabolites, which can be determined by isotopic 13C NMR spectrometry. It focuses on the key metabolite glucose and on enzyme activities and physiological processes that are responsible for the carbon isotope patterns in glucose from different biological origins. It further considers how intramolecular 13C/12C isotope ratios in glucose can be exploited to understand fundamental aspects of plant biological chemistry, how these are related to environmental parameters and how these influence metabolites beyond central sugar metabolism. It does not purport to be an extensive overview of intramolecular isotopic patterns. Rather, the aim is to show how a full understanding of 13C/12C fractionations occurring during plant metabolism can only be possible once the factors that define intramolecular isotope values are better delineated.     

A coupled NMR and MS isotopic method for the authentication of natural vinegars

Summary The natural site-specific deuterium content and the overall ¹³C content of acetic acids, extracted from vinegars or obtained by chemical synthesis, were determined by NMR and mass spectrometries. The isotope ratios (D/H)_CH3 and the ¹³C deviation of these samples were compared to those of a series of ethanols of the same natural or synthetic origins. The different groups of natural and fossil acetic acids are represented in the ²H/¹³C isotopic plane and the discriminant function, which enables unknown samples to be assigned to a given group, is computed. A careful analysis of the repeatability of the entire analytical procedure and a study of known mixtures of natural and synthetic acids show that as low as 5% synthetic acid in a natural vinegar can be detected in a comparative analysis. A sensitivity level of 15% may be expected on an absolute basis when no information on the origin of the precursors is available, providing that a determination of the botanical family of the natural component can be carried out beforehand.     

A combined theoretical and experimental approach to determining order parameters of solutes in liquid crystals from 13C NMR data

The ordering properties of an anisotropic liquid crystal can be studied by recording 13C NMR spectra at different temperatures for a number of rigid solutes. The traditional difficulty in analyzing 13C data comes from the scarcity of experimental information about the carbon shielding tensors and from their limited transferability among different solutes. We show that these obstacles can be overcome by computing high-level ab initio shielding tensors, also including the solvent effects by the polarizable continuum model. The reliability of this combined approach is carefully verified, and the order parameters of several solutes are obtained by reanalyzing previously published spectra. The quality of the results is shown to be comparable to deuterium NMR without the need of isotopic substitution.     

Quantitative analysis of deuterium using the isotopic effect on quaternary C NMR chemical shifts

Quantitative analysis of specifically deuterated compounds can be achieved by a number of conventional methods, such as mass spectroscopy, or by quantifying the residual ¹H NMR signals compared to signals from internal standards. However, site specific quantification using these methods becomes challenging when dealing with non-specifically or randomly deuterated compounds that are produced by metal catalyzed hydrothermal reactions in D₂O, one of the most convenient deuteration methods. In this study, deuterium-induced NMR isotope shifts of quaternary ¹³C resonances neighboring deuterated sites have been utilized to quantify the degree of isotope labeling of molecular sites in non-specifically deuterated molecules. By probing ¹³C NMR signals while decoupling both proton and deuterium nuclei, it is possible to resolve ¹³C resonances of the different isotopologues based on the isotopic shifts and the degree of deuteration of the carbon atoms. We demonstrate that in different isotopologues, the same quaternary carbon, neighboring partially deuterated carbon atoms, are affected to an equal extent by relaxation. Decoupling both nuclei (¹H, ²H) resolves closely separated quaternary ¹³C signals of the different isotopologues, and allows their accurate integration and quantification under short relaxation delays (D1 = 1 s) and hence fast accumulative spectral acquisition. We have performed a number of approaches to quantify the deuterium content at different specific sites to demonstrate a convenient and generic analysis method for use in randomly deuterated molecules, or in cases of specifically deuterated molecules where back-exchange processes may take place during work up.     

Combination of sugar analysis and stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry to detect the use of artificial sugars in royal jelly production

The effects of feeding bees artificial sugars and/or proteins on the sugar compositions and ¹³C isotopic measurements of royal jellies (RJs) were evaluated. The sugars fed to the bees were two C4 sugars (cane sugar and maize hydrolysate), two C3 sugars (sugar beet, cereal starch hydrolysate), and honey. The proteins fed to them were pollen, soybean, and yeast powder proteins. To evaluate the influence of the sugar and/or protein feeding over time, samples were collected during six consecutive harvests. ¹³C isotopic ratio measurements of natural RJs gave values of around −25 ‰, which were also seen for RJs obtained when the bees were fed honey or C3 sugars. However, the RJs obtained when the bees were fed cane sugar or corn hydrolysate (regardless of whether they were also fed proteins) gave values of up to −17 ‰. Sugar content analysis revealed that the composition of maltose, maltotriose, sucrose, and erlose varied significantly over time in accordance with the composition of the syrup fed to the bees. When corn and cereal starch hydrolysates were fed to the bees, the maltose and maltotriose contents of the RJs increased up to 5.0 and 1.3 %, respectively, compared to the levels seen in authentic samples (i.e., samples obtained when the bees were fed natural food: honey and pollen) that were inferior to 0.2% and not detected, respectively. The sucrose and erlose contents of natural RJs were around 0.2 %, whereas those in RJs obtained when the bees were fed cane or beet sugar were as much as 4.0 and 1.3 %, respectively. The combination of sugar analysis and ¹³C isotopic ratio measurements represents a very efficient analytical methodology for detecting (from early harvests onward) the use of C4 and C3 artificial sugars in the production of RJ.     

Determination of the 13C/12C ratio of ethanol derived from fruit juices and maple syrup by isotope ratio mass spectrometry: collaborative study

A collaborative study of the carbon-13 isotope ratio mass spectrometry (13C-IRMS) method based on fermentation ethanol for detecting some sugar additions in fruit juices and maple syrup is reported. This method is complementary to the site-specific natural isotope fractionation by nuclear magnetic resonance (SNIF-NMR) method for detecting added beet sugar in the same products (AOAC Official Methods 995.17 and 2000.19), and uses the same initial steps to recover pure ethanol. The fruit juices or maple syrups are completely fermented with yeast, and the alcohol is distilled with a quantitative yield (>96%). The carbon-13 deviation (delta13C) of ethanol is then determined by IRMS. This parameter becomes less negative when exogenous sugar derived from plants exhibiting a C4 metabolism (e.g., corn or cane) is added to a juice obtained from plants exhibiting a C3 metabolism (most common fruits except pineapple) or to maple syrup. Conversely, the delta13C of ethanol becomes more negative when exogenous sugar derived from C3 plants (e.g., beet, wheat, rice) is added to pineapple products. Twelve laboratories analyzed 2 materials (orange juice and pure cane sugar) in blind duplicate and 4 sugar-adulterated materials (orange juice, maple syrup, pineapple juice, and apple juice) as Youden pairs. The precision of that method for measuring delta13C was similar to that of other methods applied to wine ethanol or extracted sugars in juices. The within-laboratory (Sr) values ranged from 0.06 to 0.16%o (r = 0.17 to 0.46 percent per thousand), and the among-laboratories (SR) values ranged from 0.17 to 0.26 percent per thousand (R = 0.49 to 0.73 percent per thousand). The Study Directors recommend that the method be adopted as First Action by AOAC INTERNATIONAL.     

Isotope ratio mass spectrometry coupled to liquid and gas chromatography for wine ethanol characterization

Two new procedures for wine ethanol 13C/12C isotope ratio determination, using high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography isotope ratio mass spectrometry (HPLC/IRMS and GC/IRMS), have been developed to improve isotopic methods dedicated to the study of wine authenticity. Parameters influencing separation of ethanol from wine matrix such as column, temperature, mobile phase, flow rates and injection mode were investigated. Twenty-three wine samples from various origins were analyzed for validation of the procedures. The analytical precision was better than 0.15 per thousand, and no significant isotopic fractionation was observed employing both separative techniques coupled to IRMS. No significant differences and a very strong correlation (r = 0.99) were observed between the 13C/12C ratios obtained by the official method (elemental analyzer/isotope ratio mass spectrometry) and the proposed new methodology. The potential advantages of the developed methods over the traditional one are speed (reducing time required from hours to minutes) and simplicity. In addition, these are the first isotopic methods that allow 13C/12C determination directly from a liquid sample with no previous ethanol isolation, overcoming technical difficulties associated with sample treatment.     

Long-range deuterium isotope effects on (13)C chemical shifts of intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded N-substituted 3-(cycloamine)thiopropionamides or amides: a case of electric field effects

A series of intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded N-substituted 3-(piperidine, morpholine, N-methylpiperazine)thiopropionamides and some corresponding amides have been studied with special emphasis on hydrogen bonding. The compounds have been selected in order to vary and to minimize the N...N distance. Geometries, charge distributions, and chemical shifts of these compounds are obtained from DFT-type BP3LYP calculations. 1H and 13C 1D and 2D NMR experiments were performed to obtain H,H coupling constants, 13C chemical shifts assignments, and deuterium isotope effects on13C chemical shifts. Variable-temperature NMR studies and 2D exchange NMR spectra have been used to describe the rather complicated conformational behavior mainly governed by the ring flipping of the piperidine (morpholine) rings and intramolecular hydrogen bonding. Unusual long-range deuterium isotope effects on 13C chemical shifts are observed over as far as eight bonds away from the site of deuteriation. The isotope effects are related to the N...N distances, thus being related to the hydrogen bonding and polarization of the N-H bond. Arguments are presented showing that the deuterium isotope effects on 13C chemical shifts originate in electric field effects.     

刺乌头碱的提取与其氢溴酸盐的合成及表征

刺乌头碱;刺乌头碱氢溴酸盐;合成;提取;表征     

An innovative method for measuring hydrogen and deuterium: Chemical reaction interface mass spectrometry with nitrogen reactant gas

A new method for measuring deuterium isotopic enrichment with CRIMS (chemical reaction interface mass spectrometry) is described. Using nitrogen as the reactant gas in a chemical reaction interface generates molecular hydrogen that provides the H2 and HD from which the deuterium content can be analyzed with a benchtop quadrupole mass spectrometer. Samples of deuterated leucine in unlabeled leucine were used as the primary test species. Detection of deuterium enrichment was accurate, precise, and linear. We used this scheme to evaluate the results of a process to acetylate lysine residues in a peptide-neurotensin. With separation on a C18 column, we found a 61% yield of the desired monoethylated product that had a D/H ratio very close to the theoretical one. Isotope ratio monitoring for deuterated species will be important in metabolism studies where CRIMS generates a comprehensive and quantitative view of products of deuterated precursors. Where concerns about metabolic isotope effects of deuterium are absent, the use of deuterium will enable these studies to be performed with simpler syntheses and at less cost than if using 13C or 15N.     

Mass spectrometric analysis of the 13C/12C abundance ratios in vine plants and wines depending on regional climate factors (Krasnodar krai and Rostov oblast, Russia)

Distribution of ¹³C/¹²C isotopes in vegetative (roots, grapevine, leaves) and generative (berries) parts of vine plants of the West European genetically different varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Aligoté growing on soils of Krasnodar krai and Rostov oblast, as well as autochthonous varieties Sibirkovy and Krasnostop Zolotovsky growing in Rostov oblast, has been studied using isotopic mass spectrometry methods. It has been shown that the variations of δ¹³C values in plant tissues and berries are related to the climatic conditions of plant growth: moisture (a sum of annual precipitation) and temperature (a sum of annual effective temperatures). The carbon isotope ratios of vegetative and generative parts of vine plants have been found to be noticeably affected by vine varieties. The different ¹³C contents in ethanol produced from wine of the Aligoté and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties grown in two Russian vineyard regions are due to vine growth conditions, variety attribution and wine production techniques. An analytically significant parameter determined as exemplified by the Aligoté and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties in fermentation of vine harvested in different seasons and in both vineyard regions was an increased ¹³C content in ethanol with respect to dry (non-volatile) residue in wine after distillation of ethanol. This characteristic has been determined by a systematic difference of about 1–2‰ between the δ¹³C value of ethanol and the dry residue. A relative constancy in the carbon isotope composition of ethanol and of the dry residue in the final product is the basis for determining the authenticity of grape wines by means of isotopic mass spectrometry irrespective of natural factors.     

Isotopic characterisation of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (ecstasy)

Combined delta2H, delta13C and delta15N isotopic analysis of MDA and MDMA extracted from seized "ecstasy" tablets provides an isotopic "fingerprint" of the active ingredient allowing individual tablets to be linked to a common batch. Correlating these data with 2H NMR analysis of the extracts has the potential to study both the natural precursor materials and synthetic pathways used in the preparation of MDA and N-substituted homologues.     

Deuterium NMR used to indicate a common mechanism for the biosynthesis of ricinoleic acid by Ricinus communis and Claviceps purpurea

Previous studies have shown that ricinoleic acid from castor bean oil of Ricinus communis is synthesized by the direct hydroxyl substitution of oleate, while it has been proposed that ricinoleate is formed by hydration of linoleate in the ergot fungus Claviceps purpurea. The mechanism of the enzymes specific to ricinoleate synthesis has not yet been established, but hydroxylation and desaturation of fatty acids in plants apparently involve closely related mechanisms. As mechanistic differences in the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of natural products can lead to different isotopic distributions in the product, we could expect ricinoleate isolated from castor or ergot oil to show distinct (2)H distribution patterns. To obtain information concerning the substrate and isotope effects that occur during the biosynthesis of ricinoleate, the site-specific natural deuterium distributions in methyl ricinoleate isolated from castor oil and in methyl ricinoleate and methyl linoleate isolated from ergot oils have been measured by quantitative (2)H NMR. First, the deuterium profiles for methyl ricinoleate from the plant and fungus are equivalent. Second, the deuterium profile for methyl linoleate from ergot is incompatible with this chemical species being the precursor of methyl ricinoleate. Hence, it is apparent that 12-hydroxylation in C. purpurea is consistent with the biosynthetic mechanisms proposed for R. communis and is compatible with the general fundamental mechanistic similarities between hydroxylation and desaturation previously proposed for plant fatty acid biosynthesis.     

Intramolecular stable carbon isotopic analysis of archaeal glycosyl tetraether lipids

Glycolipids are prominent constituents in the membranes of cells from all domains of life. For example, diglycosyl‐glycerol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraethers (2Gly‐GDGTs) are associated with methanotrophic ANME‐1 archaea and heterotrophic benthic archaea, two archaeal groups of global biogeochemical importance. The hydrophobic biphytane moieties of 2Gly‐GDGTs from these two uncultivated archaeal groups exhibit distinct carbon isotopic compositions. To explore whether the isotopic compositions of the sugar headgroups provide additional information on the metabolism of their producers, we developed a procedure to analyze the δ¹³C values of glycosidic headgroups. Successful determination was achieved by (1) monitoring the contamination from free sugars during lipid extraction and preparation, (2) optimizing the hydrolytic conditions for glycolipids, and (3) derivatizing the resulting sugars into aldononitrile acetate derivatives, which are stable enough to withstand a subsequent column purification step. First results of δ¹³C values of sugars cleaved from 2Gly‐GDGTs in two marine sediment samples, one containing predominantly ANME‐1 archaea and the other benthic archaea, were obtained and compared with the δ¹³C values of the corresponding biphytanes. In both samples the dominant sugar headgroups were enriched in ¹³C relative to the corresponding major biphytane. This ¹³C enrichment was significantly larger in the putative major glycolipids from ANME‐1 archaea (～15‰) than in those from benthic archaea (<7‰). This method opens a new analytical window for the examination of carbon isotopic relationships between sugars and lipids in uncultivated organisms. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated agricultural residues and the fermentation of the liberated sugars to ethanol

Agricultural residues were pretreated by steam explosion and the cellulosic component of these substrates were converted to ethanol using a combined enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation (CHF) process. The enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out using culture filtrates ofTrichoderma harzianum E58 while the liberated sugars were fermented to ethanol byS. cerevisiae. Initially, pretreatment conditions were optimized to ensure that the substrates were readily hydrolyzed and fermented. The agricultural residues were steamed for various times between 30 and 120 s at approximately 240‡C prior to rapid decompression (explosion) in a small masonite-type gun. The various substrates were selectively extracted by water and alkali to see whether the enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentability of the substrates were enhanced. A comparison between the overall conversion of wheat and barley straw was made since these are the two most readily available agricultural residues in Canada. Steam explosion did not affect the hexosan content of the residues, although the pentosan content of the substrates decreased with increasing duration of steaming. The hexosan (cellulose) content of wheat straw was 50.7% of the total substrate while a slightly higher 52.9% cellulose content was detected in the barley straw. Wheat straw was more efficiently hydrolyzed after it had been steamed for 90 s while optimum hydrolysis of the barley straw was detected after 60 s. Steam exploded wheat and barley straw that was subsequently extracted with water was readily hydrolyzed to their component sugars.S. cerevisiae could almost quantitatively convert these sugars to ethanol. This indicated that water washing not only enhanced the enzymatic hydrolysis of the steam exploded substrates, it also removed inhibitory material that restricted the growth of S.cerevisiae. Maximum hydrolysis (78.5%) and ethanol yields (10 mg/mL) were obtained when wheat straw was steamed for 90 s. Slightly lower hydrolysis (76.0%) and ethanol yields (9.5 mg/mL) were obtained with barley straw that had been steamed for 120 s.     

Unusual deuterium isotope effects in 13C NMR spectra of trans-stilbene

A detailed analysis of the ¹³C NMR spectra of trans-stilbene and ten deuteriated trans-stilbenes has been undertaken. Some unusual deuterium isotope effects on carbon–hydrogen spin–spin coupling constants could not be explained by the ordinary primary and secondary isotope effects. The positive and negative changes of ⁿJ(CH) were interpreted in terms of a steric effect, the vibrational influence of the C? D bond and the para-effect induced by deuterium. In this respect, deuterium behaves as a real substituent with electronic properties different from those of hydrogen. The deuterium isotope effects on ¹³C NMR chemical shifts and carbon–deuterium coupling constants have also been determined.     

A novel approach for honey pollen profile assessment using an electronic tongue and chemometric tools

Nowadays the main honey producing countries require accurate labeling of honey before commercialization, including floral classification. Traditionally, this classification is made by melissopalynology analysis, an accurate but time-consuming task requiring laborious sample pre-treatment and high-skilled technicians. In this work the potential use of a potentiometric electronic tongue for pollinic assessment is evaluated, using monofloral and polyfloral honeys. The results showed that after splitting honeys according to color (white, amber and dark), the novel methodology enabled quantifying the relative percentage of the main pollens (Castanea sp., Echium sp., Erica sp., Eucaliptus sp., Lavandula sp., Prunus sp., Rubus sp. and Trifolium sp.). Multiple linear regression models were established for each type of pollen, based on the best sensors' sub-sets selected using the simulated annealing algorithm. To minimize the overfitting risk, a repeated K-fold cross-validation procedure was implemented, ensuring that at least 10–20% of the honeys were used for internal validation. With this approach, a minimum average determination coefficient of 0.91 ± 0.15 was obtained. Also, the proposed technique enabled the correct classification of 92% and 100% of monofloral and polyfloral honeys, respectively. The quite satisfactory performance of the novel procedure for quantifying the relative pollen frequency may envisage its applicability for honey labeling and geographical origin identification. Nevertheless, this approach is not a full alternative to the traditional melissopalynologic analysis; it may be seen as a practical complementary tool for preliminary honey floral classification, leaving only problematic cases for pollinic evaluation.