Food and Beverage Analysis

Carotenoids are a class of natural pigments, widely distributed in vegetables and fruits. A comprehensive LC×LC method, based on the use of a cyano and an octodecylsilica column, placed in the first and second dimension, respectively, was applied to evaluate carotenoid composition and stability in selected overripe fruits representing the waste generated by a local food market.

This fit-for-purpose LC–MS based method provides fast analysis of four mycotoxins using standard HPLC equipment with a pentafluorophenyl SPP column.

Measuring trypsin inhibitors in legumes is important to feed processors, who are concerned with providing high-quality products for animal feed. In this study, a rapid, accurate, and precise method for the quantification of trypsin inhibitor activity is evaluated.

Superficially porous particles with their favorable chromatographic properties were a great advance for liquid chromatography. The speed they enable is exemplified by a LC–MS method of analysis for four mycotoxins, spanning log P values from -0.7 to 3.6, with an analysis time of just over 8 min and excellent performance. Another issue is the separation of closely related mycotoxins, like 3- and 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol. With the common C18 chemistries they coelute and identification and quantification can only be achieved through differing MS-MS signals. Now, with the newer pentafluorophenyl chemistries these two mycotoxins can be separated by LC and MS quantification of them has become much more precise.

Adequate detection of trans-resveratrol in wine is complicated by two factors: relatively low levels and interferences from matrix components. Here, we present two useful approaches to overcoming these issues depending on the instrumentation available. For HPLC–UV analyses, matrix peaks can be removed by microextraction using packed sorbent while simultaneously concentrating the trans-resveratrol peak by a factor of two. For LC–MS, the extracted ion chromatogram for the [M + H]+ analyte ion can be used to obtain specificity without prior extraction procedures.

This article provides useful tips for smooth validation of multi-analyte LC–MS-MS methods and summarizes important validation outcomes for 295 analytes, including more than 200 mycotoxins.

Research into honeybee venom is being performed to identify active proteins acting as allergens and toxins. Researchers combined LC–MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS–MS, LC–ESI-QTOF-MS–MS, and a combinatorial peptide ligand library enrichment method to detect 269 proteins.

Food analysis provides a rich sample matrix with many compounds of interest for analysis to contemplate-but one must always take care that the right tool is chosen for the desired task.

A variety of alcoholic beverages purchased within the UK were analyzed for the presence of Ethylcarbamate. A 1 µL injection of these alcoholic beverages were analyzed on an Ellutia 200 GC followed by detection on an Ellutia 820 TEA working in nitrogen detection mode. This mode of analysis detects nitrogen containing compounds within a sample. The Ellutia 810/820 systems are able to analyse various nitro or nitroso compounds, utilizing the selectivity available through nitrogen or nitroso modes. Nitrogen mode utilizes the catalytic pyrolyzer tube, oxygen reactor, and higher temperatures to detect nitrogen compounds. Results for various alcoholic beverages are shown in Figure 3. The samples were found to have various low levels of ethylcarbamate, the system was optimized through levels of oxygen input and EHT sensitivity. The samples were then analyzed adopting a standard addition approach.

A team of researchers based in France has examined the consequences of microwave and electron-beam treatments on food and its packaging using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC).

Gas chromatography–atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (GC–APCI) offers increased limits of sensitivity in food analysis. Carlos Sales Martinez from the Research Institute of Pesticides and Water in the University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain, has been exploring the novelty of this technique for the analysis of food samples. He recently spoke to LCGC about this work.

Herbs are widely used in many food products, but substantial variations in aroma can result from differences in growing conditions or preparation of the plant material, which can affect product quality.

Our modern, ISO 9001-certified research and manufacturing facilities in Muskegon, Michigan and Seelze, Germany benefit from the Honeywell Operating System, a comprehensive, integrated manufacturing approach based on Six Sigma and Lean manufacturing methodologies that is designed to eliminate variation and waste and improve work processes rapidly and continuously.

Food contact materials contain low molecular weight additives and processing aids which can migrate into foods leading to trace levels of contamination. Food safety is ensured through regulations, comprising compositional controls and migration limits, which present a significant analytical challenge to the food industry to ensure compliance and demonstrate due diligence. Of the various analytical approaches, LC-MS/MS has proved to be an essential tool in monitoring migration of target compounds into foods, and more sophisticated approaches such as LC-high resolution MS (Orbitrap) are being increasingly used for untargeted analysis to monitor non-intentionally added substances. This podcast will provide an overview to this area, illustrated with various applications showing current approaches being employed.

Mars, Incorporated (McLean, Virginia, USA) has announced the opening of its Global Food Safety Center, a first-of-its-kind facility for pre-competitive research and training that aims to raise global food safety standards through collaboration.

Mars, Incorporated (McLean, Virginia, USA) has announced the opening of its Global Food Safety Center, a first-of-its-kind facility for pre-competitive research and training that aims to raise global food safety standards through collaboration.

Foodomics can help to investigate and solve crucial topics in food science and nutrition from a short- and long-term perspective. LCGC spoke to Alejandro Cifuentes from the Laboratory of Foodomics at the Institute of Food Science Research (CIAL), National Research Council of Spain (CSIC) in Madrid, Spain, about the fundamental importance of foodomics and where the field of food analysis is heading.

The 7th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis (RAFA 2015) will take place at the Clarion Congress Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic, on 3–6 November 2015.

Preventing environmental contaminants from getting in to the food chain is of paramount importance to us all. Yelena Sapozhnikova, a Research Chemist at the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Wyndmoor, PA, USA, spoke to The Column about her research into the development and evaluation of analytical methods for persistent and emerging organic chemical contaminants in food samples.

Ginseng has been used worldwide for thousands of years. Thought to possess therapeutic effects, it has been marketed as a natural product for the treatment of disease. This article describes how ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) can be coupled with ion mobility mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) to profile phytochemicals contained within ginseng and confirm quality.

Multi-Toxin Determination in Food – The Power of "Dilute and Shoot" Approaches in LC–MS–MS

In this video from LCGC TV, Luigi Mondello from the University of Messina in Italy reveals his views on the prospect of mass spectrometry eliminating the need for chromatographic separations in the future.

A team of researchers in Spain has examined the use of commercial yeast products in the production of white and rosé sparkling wines.