Natural estrogens in dairy products: Determination of free and conjugated forms by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

Natural estrogens are synthesized by mammals in different amounts depending on the developmental stage and pregnancy/lactation period, and they may pass into milk, where they are mostly present as glucuronated and sulfated forms. In modern dairy practices, about 75% of milk is produced from pregnant cows; therefore, the amount of hormones that may pass into milk could be of concern. While estrogen determination in milk has been investigated in depth, the individual determination of estrogens and their conjugated forms in dairy products has not been fully addressed. The aim of this work was to develop and assess a sensitive method, using the peculiar retention properties of graphitized carbon black, to extract natural free estrogens and their major conjugated metabolites, without any enzymatic cleavage, from yogurt, cheese, and butter. The free and conjugated estrogens were eluted in two distinct fractions from the solid‐phase extraction cartridge and analyzed separately by ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Recoveries were higher than 80% for all the three sample typologies. The highest matrix effects were observed for butter, which was richest in lipid content, but was below 30%. A survey on some commercial dairy products suggests that production processes decreased estrogen content.     

Graphene‐based pipette tip solid‐phase extraction with ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of carbamate pesticide residues in fruit juice

Graphene‐based pipette tip solid‐phase extraction was combined with ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of carbamate pesticide residues in fruit juice samples. Four milligrams of graphene was used as sorbent material to pack a 1000 μL pipette tip for the extraction of pirimicarb, propoxur, isoprocarb, fenobucarb, and diethofencarb from 3 mL of fruit juice sample. The whole extraction process was finished in 12 min, and the volume of eluent used was only 1.5 mL. Under the optimized conditions, good linear relationship (R > 0.999) and lower limits of detection (0.0022–0.033 ng/mL) were achieved. The recoveries at three spiked levels ranged from 80.90 to 124.60% with relative standard deviations less than 4.88%. Compared with commercially available sorbents including propylsulfonic acid silica, graphitized carbon black, and C₁₈, graphene was superior in extraction efficiency. The proposed method is simple, rapid, sensitive, selective, and solvent saving.     

Fe3O4/reduced graphene oxide‐carbon nanotubes composite for the magnetic solid‐phase extraction and HPLC determination of sulfonamides in milk

A novel magnetic adsorbent Fe₃O₄/reduced graphene oxide‐carbon nanotubes, was prepared by one‐pot solvothermal synthesis method. It was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray powder diffraction and vibrating sample magnetometry. The diameter of Fe₃O₄ microparticles was about 350 nm, which were covered by carbon nanotubes and reduced graphene oxide sheets, while carbon nanotubes inserted between the reduced graphene oxide sheets effectively prevented their aggregation. The composite had large surface area and good magnetic property, suiting for magnetic solid‐phase extraction and the determination of sulfonamides, by coupling with high‐performance liquid chromatography. Under the optimized conditions (including extraction time, amount of adsorbent, solution pH, ionic strength and desorption conditions), a good linear was achieved in the concentration range of 5–500 μg/L and the low limits of detection and low limits of quantification were 0.35–1.32 and 1.16–4.40 μg/L, respectively. The enrichment factors were estimated to be 24.72 to 30.15 fold. The proposed method was applied for the detection of sulfonamides in milk sample and the recoveries were 88.4–105.9%, with relative standard deviations of 0.74–5.38%.     

Covalently bonded aptamer‐functionalised magnetic mesoporous carbon for high‐efficiency chloramphenicol detection

A novel aptamer‐modified magnetic mesoporous carbon was prepared to develop a specific and sensitive magnetic solid‐phase extraction method through combination with ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis chloramphenicol in complex samples. More specifically, the chloramphenicol aptamer‐modified Mg/Al layered double hydroxide magnetic mesoporous carbon was employed as a novel magnetic solid‐phase extraction sorbent for analyte enrichment and sample clean‐up. The extraction solvent, extraction time, desorption solvent, and desorption time were investigated. It was found that the mesoporous structure and aptamer‐based affinity interactions resulted in acceptable selective recognition and a good chemical stability toward trace amounts of chloramphenicol. Upon combination with the ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry technique, a specific and sensitive recognition method was developed with a low limit of detection (0.94 pmol/L, S/N = 3) for chloramphenicol analysis. The developed method was successfully employed for the determination of chloramphenicol in complex serum, milk powders, fish and chicken samples, giving recoveries of 87.0‐107% with relative standard deviations of 3.1‐9.7%.     

Determination of Estrogenic Nonylphenol and Bisphenol a in River Water by Solid‐Phase Extraction and Gas Chromatography‐Mass Spectrometry

A simple and sensitive method is presented for the analysis of nonylphenol (NP) and bisphenol A (BPA), two well known hormonally active agents (HAAs), in the samples of river water. The method involves extraction of the sample by a graphitized carbon black (GCB) solid‐phase extraction, and determination by an ion‐trap gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS). The large‐volume injection technique provides high precision and sensitivity for NP and BPA, to quantitation at < 0.05 μg/L in 200 mL of water samples. Recovery of NP and BPA in spiked water samples ranged from 80% to 85%. Relative standard deviations (RSD) of replicate analyses ranged from 1.6% to 6.9%. The concentrations of NP in rivers were in the range between 0.4 to 2.4 μg/L, which were below the threshold concentration (10 μg/L) for vitellogenin induction in fish, but 78%) of water samples from five rivers exceeded the predicted‐no‐effect concentration (PNEC) of 0.7 μg/L as proposed recently. The concentrations of BPA ranged from < 0.05 μg/L to 3.0 μg/L, which all were below the PNEC of 64 μg/L.     

Hierarchical porous carbon with designed pore architecture and study of its adsorptive properties

Ordered mesoporous carbon nanoparticles have been synthesized by a nanocasting procedure from furfuryl alcohol impregnation into alumino–silica UVM-7 material. By a proper adjustment of the synthesis parameters, furfuryl alcohol volume vs. template pore volume, it was possible to obtain a carbonaceous templated material which keeps the hierarchical bimodal porosity of the silica together with its high surface area (>1000 m²/g), as it was confirmed by means of electron transmission microscopy and N₂ adsorption isotherms. This carbon material was evaluated by testing it as a sorbent for several pesticides in aqueous solutions. Its absorption efficiency was compared with typical commercial solid phase extraction materials such as silica C₁₈ and graphitized carbon black GCB.     

Development and evaluation of microwave‐assisted and ultrasound‐assisted methods based on a quick,easy, cheap,effective, rugged,and safe sample preparation approach for the determination of bisphenol analogues in serum and sediments

Microwave‐ and ultrasound‐assisted methods based on a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe sample preparation approach followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry were developed for the simultaneous determination of eight bisphenol analogues in serum and sediment. The developed methods provided satisfactory extraction efficiency for the energy provided by microwaves and ultrasound. Compositions of commercial sorbents (primary secondary amine, MgSO₄, octadecyl‐modified silica, and graphitized carbon black) were evaluated. The ultrasound‐assisted method was suited for serum using primary secondary amine, MgSO₄, and octadecyl‐modified silica as sorbents and a mixture of hexane and ethyl acetate as extraction solvent. The microwave‐assisted method worked better for sediment with tetrahydrofuran and methanol as solvents and primary secondary amine, MgSO₄, octadecyl‐modified silica, and graphitized carbon black as sorbents. Other experimental parameters, such as extraction temperature and time, were also optimized. The inter‐ and intraday relative standard deviations ranged from 2.7 to 5.5%. The limits of detection were between 0.1 and 1.0 ng/mL for serum and between 0.1 and 0.5 ng/g dry weight for sediment. The proposed methods were successfully applied to seven sediment and 20 human serum samples. The results showed that the developed methods were practical for the analysis and biomonitoring of bisphenols in sera and sediment.     

Magnetic solid‐phase extraction of pyrethroid pesticides in environmental water samples with CoFe2O4‐embedded porous graphitic carbon nanocomposites

Magnetic CoFe₂O₄‐embedded porous graphitic carbon nanocomposites were prepared through a facile solid‐phase thermal reaction with NaCl as a template. The material was applied in the magnetic solid‐phase extraction process coupled with high performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector to detect the trace fenpropathrin, cyhalothrin, S‐fenvalerate, and bifenthrin in different water samples. The synthesis conditions of nanomaterial including glucose concentration and calcination time on extraction performance for pyrethroid pesticides have been investigated. Different magnetic solid‐phase extraction parameters have been studied, such as the nanomaterial amount, solution pH, eluent types, adsorption time, and the reusability. Under the optimum conditions, good recoveries (80.2–110.9%) were achieved with relative standard deviations of 0.2–5.8%. There are probably hydrophobic interactions and dipole–dipole attractions between nanocomposites and the analytes.     

An efficient procedure for extraction and determination of steroids in the tissue of laboratory animals

Summary A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for analysis of steroids in the tissue of laboratory animals is described. A two-stage solid extraction procedure, utilizing Sep-pak C₁₈ and graphitized carbon black, gives a purified product. Steroids in this extract were separated by multistep gradient elution with a reversedphase liquid chromatography system, using acetonitrilewater as solvent. Several columns with different geometry and phase loading were investigated. Optimum resolution was obtained with a medium covered and spherical particle.The applicability of this method was successfully demonstrated in the analysis of the testis and adrenal gland of rat.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. A. Liberti on the occasion of his 70th birthday.     

An efficient cleanup method coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry for multi‐pesticides residue analysis in complex plant matrices

We aimed to develop an efficient cleanup method for multi‐pesticides residue analysis in complex plant matrices, shallot, ginger, garlic, onion, leek, and celery. Column chromatography was used as the cleanup method and fabricated with florisil and graphitized carbon black as the adsorbents. The amount of the graphitized carbon black adsorbent and the choice of the elution solvent were systematically investigated for exploring the best combination. The target pesticides covered organochlorine, pyrethroid, and organophosphorus pesticides, and were 38 in total. The method validation and comparison were performed to verify its feasibility and advantages in operation convenience and purification efficiency. The method limit of quantitation varied from 0.01 to 0.03 mg/kg, which depends on the pesticides and the sample matrices. The recoveries of the pesticides ranged from 60.5 to 128% (RSD ≤ 19.0%) at the spiked concentration level of 0.01 (or 0.03) mg/kg and 62.9 to 130% (RSD ≤ 13.0%) at 0.1 mg/kg. Compared with the commercial cleanup solid‐phase extraction cartridges, the present adsorbent combination displayed better purification effect and shorter sample pretreatment time, demonstrating potential application prospect in the complex matrix sample analysis.     

Ultrasound‐assisted extraction and solid‐phase extraction as a cleanup procedure for organochlorinated pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls determination in aquatic samples by gas chromatography with electron capture detection

The feasibility of developing a quick, easy, efficient procedure for the simultaneous determination of organochlorinated pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in aquatic samples using gas chromatography with electron capture detection based on solid‐phase extraction was investigated. The extraction solvent (n‐hexane/acetone, cyclohexane/ethyl acetate, n‐hexane/dichloromethane, n‐hexane) for ultrasound‐assisted solid–liquid extraction and solid‐phase extraction columns (florisil, neutral alumina, acidic alumina, aminopropyl trimethoxy silane, propyl ethylenediamine, aminopropyl trimethoxy silane/propyl ethylenediamine, graphitized carbon black and silica) for cleanup procedure were optimized. The gas chromatography with electron capture detection method was validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity, reproducibility, and recovery. Mean recoveries ranged from 75 to 115% with relative standard deviations <13%. Quantification limits were 0.20–0.40 ng/g for organochlorinated pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls. The satisfactory data demonstrated the good reproducibility of the method with relative standard deviations lower than 13%. In comparison to other related methods, this method requires less time and solvent and allows for rapid isolation of the target analytes with high selectivity. This method therefore allows for the screening of numerous samples and can also be used for routine analyses.     

Quick and selective extraction of Z‐ligustilide from Angelica sinensis using magnetic multiwalled carbon nanotubes

A facile and highly efficient magnetic solid‐phase extraction method has been developed for Z‐ligustilide, the major therapeutic agent in Angelica sinensis. The solid‐phase adsorbent material used was prepared by conjugating carbon nanotubes with magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles via a hydrothermal reaction. The magnetic material showed a high affinity toward Z‐ligustilide due to the π–π stacking interaction between the carbon nanotubes and Z‐ligustilide, allowing a quick and selective exaction of Z‐ligustilide from complex sample matrices. Factors influencing the magnetic solid‐phase extraction such as the amount of the added adsorbent, adsorption and desorption time, and desorption solvent, were investigated. Due to its high extraction efficiency, this method was proved highly useful for sample cleanup/enrichment in quantitative high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis. The proposed method had a linear calibration curve (R² = 0.9983) over the concentration between 4 ng/mL and 200 μg/mL Z‐ligustilide. The accuracy of the method was determined by the recovery, which was from 92.07 to 104.02%, with the relative standard deviations >4.51%.     

Dispersive liquid–liquid extraction based on magnetic Pickering emulsion followed by gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry for the simultaneous determination of aldehydes in environmental water samples

A dispersive liquid–liquid extraction based on Pickering emulsion stabilized with ferroferric oxide grafted nitrogen‐doped graphitized carbon black has been developed to simultaneously determine seven aldehydes in environmental water samples, in combination with pentafluorobenzyl hydroxylamine precolumn derivatization gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The nitrogen‐doped graphitized carbon was prepared from dicyandiamide waste residue with a simple acid wash process. The effects of magnetic emulsifier amount, extraction time, solution pH, and oil/water volume ratio on the formation of magnetically responsive Pickering emulsion and the extraction efficiency of the proposed dispersive liquid–liquid extraction were also investigated. Under the optimized conditions, satisfactory linearities were obtained for all aldehydes with correlation coefficients larger than 0.9984. The limits of detection and quantitation of seven aldehydes were in the range of 17.3–30.1 ng/L and 54.3–103.4 ng/L, respectively, with intra‐ and interday relative standard deviations less than 8.6%. The mean recoveries at three spiked levels ranged from 70.0 to 101.4%. With the Pickering emulsion as a “minimized extractor”, the extraction was accomplished within 5 min. After extraction, the magnetic disperser could be recovered for reuse at least five times by an external magnetic field. The proposed method was demonstrated to be feasible, simple, and economic for the trace analysis of the aldehydes in environmental water samples.     

Aptamer‐functionalized Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles as a solid‐phase extraction adsorbent for the selective extraction of berberine from Cortex phellodendri

The extraction adsorbent was fabricated by immobilizing the highly specific recognition and binding of aptamer onto the surface of Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles, which not only acted as recognition elements to recognize and capture the target molecule berberine from the extract of Cortex phellodendri , but also could favor the rapid separation and purification of the bound berberine by using an external magnet. The developed solid‐phase extraction method in this work was useful for the selective extraction and determination of berberine in Cortex phellodendri extracts. Various conditions such as the amount of aptamer‐functionalized Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles, extraction time, temperature, pH value, Mg²⁺ concentration, elution time and solvent were optimized for the solid‐phase extraction of berberine. Under optimal conditions, the purity of berberine extracted from Cortex phellodendri was as high as 98.7% compared with that of 4.85% in the extract, indicating that aptamer‐functionalized Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles‐based solid‐phase extraction method was very effective for berberine enrichment and separation from a complex herb extract. The applicability and reliability of the developed solid‐phase extraction method were demonstrated by separating berberine from nine different concentrations of one Cortex phellodendri extract. The relative recoveries of the spiked solutions of all the samples were between 95.4 and 111.3%, with relative standard deviations ranging between 0.57 and 1.85%.     

Sorption behavior of acidic herbicides on carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes and graphitized carbon are investigated as adsorbents for solid phase extraction of dicamba and 2,4,5-T, two phenoxyalkanoic acid herbicides. These adsorbents have much greater adsorption capability than that of C₁₈ bonded silica, which was also tested for comparison studies. The adsorption capacity increases remarkably at lower pH of the sample solution. Freundlich isotherms were applied to analyze the data. Our studies suggest that carbon nanotubes have great potential applications in environmental analysis.     

Two‐dimensional solid‐phase extraction strategy for the selective enrichment of aminoglycosides in milk

An orthogonal two‐dimensional solid‐phase extraction strategy was established for the selective enrichment of three aminoglycosides including spectinomycin, streptomycin, and dihydrostreptomycin in milk. A reversed‐phase liquid chromatography material (C₁₈) and a weak cation‐exchange material (TGA) were integrated in a single solid‐phase extraction cartridge. The feasibility of two‐dimensional clean‐up procedure that experienced two‐step adsorption, two‐step rinsing, and two‐step elution was systematically investigated. Based on the orthogonality of reversed‐phase and weak cation‐exchange procedures, the two‐dimensional solid‐phase extraction strategy could minimize the interference from the hydrophobic matrix existing in traditional reversed‐phase solid‐phase extraction. In addition, high ionic strength in the extracts could be effectively removed before the second dimension of weak cation‐exchange solid‐phase extraction. Combined with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry, the optimized procedure was validated according to the European Union Commission directive 2002/657/EC. A good performance was achieved in terms of linearity, recovery, precision, decision limit, and detection capability in milk. Finally, the optimized two‐dimensional clean‐up procedure incorporated with liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry was successfully applied to the rapid monitoring of aminoglycoside residues in milk.     

特丁基二甲基硅烷衍生化气相色谱-质谱联用法快速测定苹果汁中的棒曲霉素

运用特丁基二甲基硅烷(TBDMS)衍生化气相色谱-质谱(GC-MS)联用法快速、高灵敏地测定了苹果汁中的棒曲霉素(PAT)。样品用乙酸乙酯-正己烷提取,Carb/C18混合型固相萃取柱净化,TBDMS衍生,GC-MS测定,选择离子监测(SIM)模式,外标法定量。在0.01～1 mg/L的范围内线性良好(r＞0.98),在2～50 μg/kg的添加水平范围内,平均回收率为88%～98%,相对标准偏差(RSD)为5.3%～13.6%, PAT的检出限为0.5 μg/kg,测定低限为2 μg/kg。该方法快速、高灵敏、准确、专一、耐用,适合对苹果汁中PAT进行确证和定量测定。     

Magnetic N‐doped mesoporous carbon as an adsorbent for the magnetic solid‐phase extraction of phthalate esters from soft drinks

A new kind of magnetic N‐doped mesoporous carbon was prepared by the one‐step carbonization of a hybrid precursor (glucose, melamine, and iron chloride) in a N₂ atmosphere with a eutectic salt (KCl/ZnCl₂) as the porogen. The obtained magnetic N‐doped mesoporous carbon showed excellent characteristics, such as strong magnetic response, high surface area, large pore volume, and abundant π‐electron system, which endow it with a great potential as a magnetic solid‐phase extraction adsorbent. To evaluate its adsorption performance, the magnetic N‐doped mesoporous carbon was used for the extraction of three phthalate esters from soft drink samples followed by high‐performance liquid chromatographic analysis. Under the optimum conditions, the developed method showed a good linearity (1.0–120.0 ng/mL), low limit of detection (0.1–0.3 ng/mL, S/N = 3), and good recoveries (83.2–119.0%) in soft drink samples. The results indicated that the magnetic N‐doped mesoporous carbon has an excellent adsorption capacity for phthalate esters and the present method is simple, accurate, and highly efficient for the extraction and determination of phthalate esters in complex matrix samples.     

Simultaneous determination of pyrametostrobin and its two metabolites in cucumber and soil using a quick,easy, cheap,effective, rugged,and safe method with HPLC–MS/MS

An easy, effective and sensitive analytical method for the simultaneous determination of a novel fungicide pyrametostrobin and its two metabolites pyrametostrobin‐M1 and pyrametostrobin‐M2 in cucumber and soil was developed using a quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method with high‐performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. The extraction solvent was acetonitrile, and cleanup sorbents were primary secondary amine and graphitized carbon black for cucumber samples and primary secondary amine for soil samples. The three target compounds were successfully separated between 3.2 and 3.9 min using a Waters CORTECS™ C₁₈ column connected to an electrospray ionization source. All the matrix‐matched samples at three fortified levels (10, 100 and 1000  μg/kg) provided satisfactory recoveries in the range of 78.8–93.8% with relative standard deviations below 6.9%. The limits of quantitation for the three compounds were below 0.183 μg/kg. The proposed method was validated by analyzing real samples.     

Determination of cyflumetofen residue in water,soil, and fruits by modified quick,easy, cheap,effective, rugged,and safe method coupled to gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A new, highly sensitive, and selective method was developed for the determination of the cyflumetofen residue in water, soil, and fruits by using gas chromatography quadruple mass spectrometry. The target compound was extracted using acetonitrile and then cleaned up using dispersive solid‐phase extraction with primary and secondary amine and graphitized carbon black, and optionally by a freezing‐out cleanup step. The matrix‐matched standards gave satisfactory recoveries and relative standard deviation values in different matrices at three fortified levels (0.05, 0.5, and 1.0 mg kg^?1). The overall average recoveries for this method in water, soil, and all fruits matrix at three fortified levels ranged from 76.3 to 101.5% with relative standard deviations in the range of 1.2–11.8% (n = 5). The calculated limits of detection and quantification were typically below 0.005 and 0.015 μg kg^?1, which were much lower than the maximum residue levels established by Japanese Positive List. This study provides a theoretical basis for China to draw up maximum residue level and analytical method for cyflumetofen acaricide in different fruits.