Determination of Artificial Sweeteners by High-Performance Ion-Mobility Spectrometry with Electrospray Ionization

There are increasing demands for simple, rapid, low-cost, and green methods for the determination of artificial sweeteners that are of concern because of their toxicity. Acesulfame-K, sodium saccharin, sodium cyclamate, aspartame, and neotame were determined by high-performance ion-mobility spectrometry with direct electrospray ionization (ESI-HPIMS). The resolving power exceeded 60 in both positive- and negative-ion modes. The single acquisition time was less than 10?s and the total analysis time was under 2?min which is faster than traditional chromatography methods. Calibration curves were established for the sweeteners at concentrations from 0.1 to 1.5 or 2.0?mg/L with correlation coefficients of approximately 0.99. The combination of simple sample preparation, fast analysis, high sensitivity, robustness, green properties, and low cost makes ESI-HPIMS a promising technique for the determination of acesulfame-K, sodium saccharin, sodium cyclamate, aspartame, and neotame in water and beverages.