Experience with wheat and wheat flour CRMs

The Chemical Section of OHM [1–2] embarked on the preparation of a wheat sample series as CRMs in 1992. The certification process has been carried out according to the recommendations of ISO. Since then a series of wheat flour samples has been developed as well. The investigations of the long-term stability and the application of wheat and flour CRMs are presented. Received: 23 May 1997 / Revised 8 September 1997 / Accepted: 16 September 1997     

Automatic Headspace Sampling for Determination of Ethylene Dibromide Residues in Cereals

Abstract

The possibility was investigated to apply a commercially available automatic head-space sampler in trace analysis of ethylene dibromide (EDB, 1,2-dibromoethane), in cereals.

Samples of rice and wheat flour were thermostatted in closed vials at 70[ddot]C for 30min. The top gas was then automatically introduced into a gas chromatograph equipped with an electron capture detector. Quantitation was performed using external standards (untreated samples spiked with solutions of EDB in N,N′-dimethylacetamide).

The relative standard deviation of the method was 3.4% for rice and 4.5% for wheat flour, at a residue level of 0.008 mg/kg. The detection limit was 0.001 mg/kg (the official EC residue tolerance is 0.01 mg/kg).

Preliminary experiments with other fumigants were carried out as well.

The headspace technique in question has the following advantages over other methods for determining EDB residues in cereals: 1. No sample pre-treatment like extraction, steam distillation, purge and trap etc.; 2. Automated sample handling; 3. “Clean” chromatograms.     

Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis for homogeneity evaluation during the preparation of a wheat flour laboratory reference material for inorganic analysis

The development of a homogeneity study during the preparation of a wheat flour laboratory reference material (LRM) for use in the quantification of metals and metalloids is reported. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) was used with validation performed using a certified reference material of wheat flour furnished by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Copper, iron, manganese, phosphor, strontium and zinc were studied in a within-bottle homogeneity test whereas barium, copper, iron, zinc, manganese, strontium, phosphor and calcium were included in a between batch homogeneity study. Standard univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for all analytes. Furthermore an alternative multivariate analysis for homogeneity is proposed by performing ANOVA of principal component scores and by inspection of principal component score graphs and hierarchical cluster analysis dendrograms. The ANOVA F-tests performed on both, the univariate and multivariate parameters, were not significant at the 95% confidence level and indicated homogeneous wheat flour samples. A 10 kg amount of material was processed, which was distributed in 100 bottles, each containing 100 g. For the between-bottle homogeneity test, three replicates were taken from each of 10 bottles selected of the 100 bottles obtained. The results were evaluated using an F-test, which demonstrated no significant difference for the between-bottle results. It is indicative that this material is homogeneous. Afterwards, the influence of the sample mass on the homogeneity of the material was also evaluated by quantification of the elements for 100, 300, 500, 700 and 1000 mg sample masses with all the experiments being performed in triplicate. The F-test was also used for evaluation of these results and demonstrated that the material is homogeneous for masses taken in the 100 to 1000 mg range. All these results were further evaluated employing the principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) multivariate techniques. Both techniques also demonstrated that the material is perfectly homogeneous for use as laboratory reference material.     

Survey of selected materials for use as an organic nutrient standard

Summary There is a need for food based reference materials characterized for organic nutrient content, since very few are presently available. A series of twelve food matrices has been prepared by Agriculture Canada as Candidate Reference Materials. This paper reports a survey of the organic nutrient content of these twelve materials which include bovine muscle powder, corn starch, hard red spring wheat flour, soft winter wheat flour, white granulated sugar, whole milk powder, wheat gluten, potato starch, corn bran, durum wheat flour, whole egg powder, and microcrystalline cellulose. Whole egg, bovine muscle and whole milk powder appear to be best suited for further development as organic nutrient standards.

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Überblick über ausgewählte Materialien zur Verwendung als Standards für organische Nährstoffe

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Contribution Number 88-65 from Land Resource Research Center     

Measurement of water absorption capacity in wheat flour by a headspace gas chromatographic technique

The purpose of this work is to introduce a new method for quantitatively analyzing water absorption capacity in wheat flour by a headspace gas chromatographic technique. This headspace gas chromatographic technique was based on measuring the water vapor released from a series of wheat flour samples with different contents of water addition. According to the different trends between the vapor and wheat flour phase before and after the water absorption capacity in wheat flour, a turning point (corresponding to water absorption capacity in wheat flour) can be obtained by fitting the data of the water gas chromatography peak area from different wheat flour samples. The data showed that the phase equilibrium in the vial can be achieved in 25 min at desired temperature (35°C). The relative standard deviation of the reaction headspace gas chromatographic technique in water absorption capacity determination was within 3.48%, the relative differences has been determined by comparing the water absorption capacity obtained from this new analytical technique with the data from the reference technique (i.e., the filtration method), which are less than 8.92%. The new headspace gas chromatographic method is automated, accurate and be a reliable tool for quantifying water absorption capacity in wheat flour in both laboratory research and mill applications.     

同位素稀释-液相色谱-串联质谱法在小麦粉细交链孢菌酮酸和腾毒素标准物质制备和定值中的应用

建立了小麦粉中细交链孢菌酮酸(TeA)和腾毒素(TEN)标准物质的研制和定值方法,为开展粮食中交链孢霉毒素基体标准物质的研制提供重要方法学借鉴。该标准物质样品为天然污染交链孢霉毒素的小麦籽粒,定值目标物为TeA和TEN,采用同位素稀释-液相色谱-串联质谱法(ID-LC-MS/MS)进行定值测量,多个实验室合作定值。所研制的标准物质具有常温避光保存、定值不确定度小等特点。该标准物质是目前国际上唯一一种天然污染TeA和TEN的小麦粉标准物质,可用于食品安全风险监测、产品质量检测等领域相关分析方法的评价和测量质量控制等。     

Authentication of Cereal Flours by Multivariate Analysis of GC–MS Data

In this work flour samples of various cereal species, a group of different cultivars of small grain species (wheat, Triticum spp.; barley, Hordeum vulgare; oat, Avena sativa; rye, Secale cereale; triticale, Triticosecale) and cultivars of corn species, Zea Mays, growing in the same period and in the same geographical area, were selected to establish differences between each other, using a new rapid method: a comparison of derivatized hexane extracts by GC–MS and multivariate analysis, using the characteristic fragmentation ion m/z 74, without performing qualitative and quantitative analysis of eluting components. Obtained results were compared with the results obtained using a common electron microscopy method. Flour samples made of every corn and oat cultivar showed complete differences compared to flour samples of each wheat, barley, rye and triticale cultivar investigated in this study. The GC–MS approach combined with multivariate analysis outperforms the standard electron microscopy method in a faster and easier way, and may be used to verify flour types in the market.

     

The effect of molecular polarity on nem/catic phase stability in 12-vertex carboranes

Weakly polar–polar isosteric pairs of 12-vertex p-carborane [closo-1,12-C₂B₁₀H₁₂] (1[12]) and monocarbaborate [closo-1-CB₁₁H₁₂]^? (2[12]) nematic liquid crystals, in which the difference in the calculated molecular dipole moment is 11.3 D, were synthesised, and the effect of the dipole moment on nematic phase stability was investigated. The trend observed for the 12-vertex series ([12]) was identical to that of the previously investigated 10-vertex series ([10]) containing [closo-1,10-C₂B₈H₁₀] (1[10]) and [closo-1-CB₉H₁₀]^? (2[10]): the uniform increase in the molecular dipole moment in the pairs of mesogens does not correspond to a uniform change in the clearing temperature, T_NI. This demonstrates the role of a remote substituent in modulating the intermolecular dipole–dipole interactions. The magnitude of such interactions was calculated (using density functional theory methods) for a pair of polar (2[12]d–2[12]d) and an analogous pair of weakly polar (1[12]d–1[12]d) molecules. All results for the 12-vertex series ([12]) were analysed relative to the 10-vertex analogues ([10]).     

A fast and reliable method for the quantitative determination of benzimidazoles and metabolites in milk by LC-MS/MS with on-line sample treatment

A method to detect the presence of common wheat in durum wheat flour samples was developed and tested. Flour samples, or ground wheat samples, were digested by pepsin and chymotrypsin, and the peptide mixture obtained was analyzed by LC/ESI-MS and LC/ESI-MS/MS, which led to the identification of two marker peptides. One peptide was coded only in the DD genome, and thus present only in common wheat; the second was present in all wheat samples (both common and durum), so it was used as marker of the total wheat content. The ratio of the chromatographic areas of these two peptides, as determined by LC/ESI-MS, was related to the proportion of common wheat in the sample using a calibration curve that was constructed with standards of known composition. The proportions of common wheat in samples obtained by mixing different common and durum wheat varieties were accurately determined by this method. Finally, the method was applied in a survey of several durum wheat flour brands present on the Italian market. The results of the survey revealed that contamination of durum wheat flour with common wheat is commonplace.     

Cadmium and other metals in Swedish wheat and rye flours: longitudinal study, 1983-1997.

Wheat flour (sifted), wheat bran, and rye flour were sampled annually in several different areas in Sweden for 15 consecutive years (1983-1997) for a total of 105, 90, and 30 samples, respectively. These samples were analyzed for their content of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn by atomic absorption spectrophotometry with background correction after dry ashing at 450 degrees C. As part of the quality control procedures, an in-house reference material was analyzed in parallel to the samples to ensure reliability of the results. In addition, a certified reference material was analyzed to monitor accuracy of the results. The Cd level in wheat and rye flours (mean 0.029 and 0.017 mg/kg dry wt, respectively) correlated significantly with time (p < 0.05) in 2 phases, tending to increase during the first half of the period and decrease during the latter half. In wheat bran, Cd (mean 0.15 mg/kg) levels did not correlate significantly with time. In wheat flour, Cu, Mn, and Zn (means 1.7, 6.2, and 7.6 mg/kg, respectively) showed a significant linear increase (p < 0.05) in concentration over time. In rye flour, the levels of Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn (means 3.8, 36, 30, and 28 mg/kg, respectively) all decreased significantly (p < 0.05) over time. Similarly, in wheat bran Cu (mean 14 mg/kg) increased and Pb (mean 0.027 mg/kg) decreased significantly (p < 0.05) over time, whereas Ni and Zn showed a significant curved correlation with time and peaked at about the middle of the measurement period.     

Dry ashing of organic rich matrices with palladium for the determination of arsenic using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

A dry ashing procedure is developed for the determination of As in organic rich matrices such as wheat flour, lichen and tobacco leaves. The volatility of As during dry ashing is avoided by the addition of palladium nitrate [Pd(NO₃)₂]. The recovery of both As(III) and As(V) is found to be near quantitative. The residue after dry ashing is dissolved in nitric acid (HNO₃) and analysed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The process blank and limit of detection (LOD) are 11 and 6.6 ng g⁻¹, respectively. The procedure is applied for the determination of As in certified reference materials namely wheat flour NIST SRM 1567a (National Institute of Standards and Technology Standard Reference Material), lichen BCR CRM 482 (Institute for Reference Materials, European Commission) and Virginia tobacco leaves CTA-VTL-2 (Poland Academy of Sciences). The results obtained by the present procedure are in good agreement with the certified values and also determined after complete dissolution of samples using closed microwave digestion.     

Microheterogeneity evaluation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in particulate standard reference materials

With the emergence of highly sensitive analytical techniques, the microanalysis of natural-matrix materials employing smaller sample sizes is increasingly more common, which subsequently warrants a homogeneity assessment for the individual components at the appropriate sampling level. Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) in combination with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been used to determine the sampling constants and evaluate the relative homogeneity of trace levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for two previously certified particulate standard reference materials, SRM 1649a Urban Dust and SRM 1650b Diesel Particulate Matter, in the milligram sampling range. Fluoranthene, pyrene, benz[a]anthracene and benzo[e]pyrene within SRM 1650b Diesel Particulate Matter were deemed to be homogeneous, based on relatively small sampling constants (K _S<100 mg), whereas the larger sampling constants (K _S>100 mg) obtained for all PAHs in SRM 1649a Urban Dust suggest more material heterogeneity. The material heterogeneity of ten individual PAHs (phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[e]pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene and benzo[ghi]perylene) was also described via nonlinear relationships (i.e., power law) between subsampling error S _s (%) and sample mass, which are used to predict analyte-specific minimum sample masses that result in a specific level of analytical uncertainty. Electronic supplementary material Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Synthesis of the 1,2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzofuro[2,3-c]pyridine ring system

As part of an on-going research project, we required an efficient method for the preparation of compounds containing the 1,2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzofuro[2,3-c]pyridine ring nucleus. The parent compound 1 has not been described in the literature, and there is only one reference to the N-methyl analog 2 [1]. A series of structurally related compounds, the 2-substituted-4-hydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzofuro[2,3-c]pyridines, has been described [2].     

Simultaneous and rapid determination of deoxynivalenol and its acetylate derivatives in wheat flour and rice by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with photo diode array detection

A simple and reliable method of ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with photo‐diode array detection has been proposed for the simultaneous determination of deoxynivalenol and its acetylated derivatives in wheat flour and rice, especially focusing on the optimization of sample extraction, cleanup, and chromatographic separation conditions. Sample pretreatment consisted of a first step using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe based extraction procedure and a subsequent cleanup step based on solid‐phase extraction. The method was extensively validated in wheat flour and rice, obtaining satisfactory analytical performance with good linearity (R² ≥ 0.999), acceptable recoveries (80.0–104.4%), and repeatability (RSDs 1.3–10.7%). The limits of detection (21.7–57.4 μg/kg) and quantitation (72.3–191.4 μg/kg) for deoxynivalenols were lower than those usually permitted by various countries’ legislation in these food matrices. The method was applied to 34 wheat and rice samples. The results were further compared with results of ultra high performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.     

Supercritical fluid extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from liver samples and determination by HPLC-FL

An extraction/clean-up procedure by SFE was developed for isolating PAHs from liver samples for subsequent HPLC-FL determination of ten PAHs in the enriched extract. Recoveries (90-115%) and RSD % (< or =7.7) were satisfactory. When applied to 11 samples of bird of prey (Tyto alba) protected species and classified of special interest, from the Galicia (Northwest to Spain), benzo[ghi]perylene and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene were undetectable; chrysene and benzo[a]pyrene are only detected in one sample; benzo[a]anthracene and benzo[k]fluoranthene are only quantified in one sample and benzo[b]fluoranthene in two samples. The other PAHs, anthracene, fluoranthene and pyrene are present in almost all the samples.     

Supercritical fluid extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from liver samples and determination by HPLC-FL

An extraction/clean-up procedure by SFE was developed for isolating PAHs from liver samples for subsequent HPLC-FL determination of ten PAHs in the enriched extract. Recoveries (90–115%) and RSD % (≤ 7.7) were satisfactory. When applied to 11 samples of bird of prey (Tyto alba) protected species and classified of special interest, from the Galicia (Northwest to Spain), benzo[ghi]perylene and indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene were undetectable; chrysene and benzo[a]pyrene are only detected in one sample; benzo[a]anthracene and benzo[k]fluoranthene are only quantified in one sample and benzo[b]fluoranthene in two samples. The other PAHs, anthracene, fluoranthene and pyrene are present in almost all the samples.     

白光LED用铕掺杂硼铋钙玻璃的结构与光学性能

采用熔融冷却法制备了铕掺杂的硼铋钙玻璃。研究了不同硼铋比（n_B/n_Bi）和钙离子浓度条件下的密度、摩尔体积、折射率等物理性质,分析了玻璃的结构、光学性质和热稳定性。实验结果表明,Eu³⁺较好的熔融于玻璃中,形成发光中心,在465 nm蓝光激发下,613 nm处有较为强烈的发射,光谱强度值随n_B/n_Bi变化不明显,但随CaO浓度升高而逐渐递减。玻璃结构总体呈现非晶态,对称性相对较低,结构致密程度和对称性均随n_B/n_Bi的降低而降低,随CaO浓度的升高而升高。玻璃结构主要组成为[BO₃]三角体、[BiO3]三角体,[BO₄]四面体和[BiO₆]八面体,不存在[BO₃]组成的硼六元环。研究结果表明,此系列硼铋钙玻璃能有效匹配蓝光芯片发射红光,且具有熔点低、热稳定较好、折射率相对适宜的特点。     

Proton magnetic resonance studies of compounds with bridgehead nitrogen atoms—XX: The NMR spectra and stereochemistry of some hexahydropyrido[2, 1-c] [1, 4] oxazin-3(4H)-ones and related compounds

A series of substituted hexahydropyrido [2,1-c] [1,4] oxazin-3(4H)-ones has been synthesised, and the configurations of these bicyclic lactones assigned utilising chemical and spectral data. All the compounds adopt trans-fused conformations and the conformation of the lactone ring is discussed with reference to the magnitude of the geminal coupling constant of the N? CH₂? C(O)? O protons, and the vicinal couplings between the angular proton and the methylene protons adjacent to the ring oxygen atom. The lactone ring conformation is shown to differ slightly from the half chair conformation described for some monocyclic δ -lactones. The synthesis and NMR spectra of some related compounds possessing the bridgehead N? CH₂? C(O)? O system are discussed and these compounds are also shown to adopt a trans-fused ring conformation.     

One‐pot Sequential Reactions Featuring a Copper‐catalyzed Amination Leading to Pyrido[2′,1′:2,3]imidazo[4,5‐c]quinolines and Dihydropyrido[2′,1′:2,3]imidazo[4,5‐c]quinolines

Tetracyclic skeletons combining an imidazo[1,2‐a]pyridine moiety with a quinoline framework such as pyrido[2′,1′:2,3]imidazo[4,5‐b]quinoline are stimulating increasing interests since they are close isosteres of a series of powerful antiproliferative compounds. In this paper, we report a novel methodology for the synthesis of pyrido[2′,1′:2,3]imidazo[4,5‐c]quinolines through one‐pot sequential reactions of commercially available or readily obtainable 2‐aminopyridines, 2‐bromophenacyl bromides, aqueous ammonia, and aldehydes. Moreover, dihydropyrido[2′,1′:2,3]imidazo[4,5‐c]quinolines could also be obtained in a similar manner by using various ketones as the substrates in place of aldehydes. Notably, the whole procedure combines condensation/amination/cyclization reactions in one pot to give complex compounds in a simple and practical manner. Compared with literature methods, the synthetic strategy reported herein has the advantages of readily available starting materials, structural diversity of products, good functional group tolerance, and obviation of step‐by‐step operations.     

Condensation du méthane disulfochlorure avec quelques diamines 1,2 et 1, 3 études des hétérocycles obtenus

Bis ehlorosulfonylmethane was condensed with several ortho-phenylendiamines in benzene at low concentration, yielding the corresponding bcnzo[e]-1,3,4,7-dithiadiazepine 2,2,4,4-lrtroxides. A similar heterocycle was obtained from bischlosulfonylmethane and 2-amino-5-chlorobenzhydrylamine. Mass spectrometry results were discussed with reference to one of the series.