Rapid determination of trans-resveratrol in red wine by solid-phase microextraction with on-fiber derivatization and multidimensional gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

There has been considerable public interest and a growing number of scientific studies linking certain phenolic compounds in grapes and wines, particularly trans-resveratrol (trans-3,5,4′-trihydroxystilbene, TRA), to human health benefits. Typical TRA concentrations in wine are very low. It is a polar compound with very low volatility, which makes it difficult to extract and to separate on a gas chromatography (GC) column without derivatization. In this study, a new method for trace analysis of TRA was developed using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with on-fiber silylation derivatization. Multidimensional GC equipped with a heartcut valve and cryogenic focusing was coupled with a mass-selective detector and used for improved separations and analysis. The effects of SPME fiber selection, extraction time, temperature, and desorption time were investigated. The derivatization conditions, time/temperature and the volume of derivatization reagent were also optimized. The calibration curve was linear over the concentration range from 10 ng L⁻¹ to 5 mg L⁻¹, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9996. The average recovery of TRA in red wine was 83.6 ± 5.6%. The method detection limit (MDL) for TRA in ethanol:water (12.5:87.5, v/v) solution in this study was 7.08 ng L⁻¹ whereas the MDL for TRA in pure water was 2.85 ng L⁻¹. The new method was used to test the TRA content in six selected Iowa red wine samples. Measured concentrations varied from 12.72 to 851.9 μg L⁻¹.     

Analysis of volatile organic compounds in pleural effusions by headspace solid‐phase microextraction coupled with cryotrap gas chromatography and mass spectrometry

Headspace solid‐phase microextraction coupled with cryotrap gas chromatography and mass spectrometry was applied to the analysis of volatile organic compounds in pleural effusions. The highly volatile organic compounds were separated successfully with high sensitivity by the employment of a cryotrap device, with the construction of a cold column head by freezing a segment of metal capillary with liquid nitrogen. A total of 76 volatile organic compounds were identified in 50 pleural effusion samples (20 malignant effusions and 30 benign effusions). Among them, 34 more volatile organic compounds were detected with the retention time less than 8 min, by comparing with the normal headspace solid‐phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry method. Furthermore, 24 volatile organic compounds with high occurrence frequency in pleural effusion samples, 18 of which with the retention time less than 8 min, were selected for the comparative analysis. The results of average peak area comparison and box‐plot analysis showed that except for cyclohexanone, 2‐ethyl‐1‐hexanol, and tetramethylbenzene, which have been reported as potential cancer biomarkers, cyclohexanol, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, n‐heptane, ethylbenzene, and xylene also had differential expression between malignant and benign effusions. Therefore, the proposed approach was valuable for the comprehensive characterization of volatile organic compounds in pleural effusions.