November 8th 2024
Here is some of the most popular content posted on LCGC International this week.
Solvents: An Overlooked Ally for Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry
July 16th 2018Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) platforms are continually developing to offer improved sensitivity to meet the analytical demands of today’s laboratories. However, choosing an inappropriate solvent can significantly undermine the quality of results, even when using the most advanced technology; a high-purity mobile phase with excellent batch-to-batch consistency is essential for reliable and reproducible results. This article discusses the importance of selecting the correct grade of solvent for LC–MS analyses and some of the challenges arising from an insufficiently pure mobile phase.
Investigating the Role of Amino Acids in Celiac Disease Development
April 16th 2018Researchers from the University of Gothenburg, in Gothenburg, Sweden, have investigated whether plasma amino acid levels differed among children with celiac disease using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) (1).
Ultra-Sensitive Method for the Detection of Illegal Dyes in Food Spices
February 12th 2018Synthetic azo- and non-azo dyes were once commonly used as food colourings in many countries. Food safety regulators in Europe, the U.S, and other countries have now banned the use of these synthetic dyes in food because of their potential genotoxic and carcinogenic effects. In some countries, however, these dyes are still being used, especially in spices. There are currently no published legal limits for these illegal food dyes, but any detectable amount is deemed unacceptable. Thus, any analytical method used to test foods for these illegal dyes must be highly sensitive. Conventional methods are only able to provide limits of quantitation (LOQs) of 10–1000 ppb for these illegal food dyes. A reversed-phase ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) method has been developed that reliably achieves LOQs that are three-to-four orders of magnitude lower than conventional methods while also providing improved accuracy and reproducibility.
Characterizing Red Chicory Polyphenols
November 7th 2017Polyphenols are a well-known group of antioxidants widely diffused as secondary metabolites in plants, vegetables, and fruit. The Column spoke to Nicola Marchetti from the Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Ferrara in Ferrara, Italy, about his research into the characterization of polyphenols in red chicory using high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS).
Evaluating Substance Use via Wastewater Analysis: An Overview of Analytical Workflows
October 1st 2017Wastewater analysis has become an established approach for retrieving additional epidemiological information about the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco at the population level. Here, we present an overview of the recent analytical frameworks and workflows for target and suspect analyses using low- and high-resolution mass spectrometry and discuss the latest advances in wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE).
The Role of LC–MS in Lipidomics
May 1st 2017Lipidomics, the analysis of lipids by mass spectrometric methods, revolutionized lipid science (1). It provides detailed quantitative information on hundreds of lipid species and opens new possibilities to gain an insight into lipid biology. This helps not only to explain the vital role of lipid species as membrane building blocks, but also to unravel their bioactive functions. Thus, lipid species can act as signaling molecules and modulate membrane properties, which are essential for organelle and membrane protein function. Moreover, the first examples demonstrated their potential as novel biomarkers to monitor human health.
That Old Devil Called Tasmanian
February 7th 2017A cross-disciplinary team of researchers in Tasmania from the fields of separation science, proteomics and metabolomics, immunology and zoology are on a mission to save the Tasmanian devil from extinction using metabolic fingerprinting of serum to identify biomarkers for Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD). The Column spoke to Naama Karu, Rodrigo Hamede Ross, and Richard Wilson to find out more.
LC–MS Characterization of Mesquite Flour Constituents
January 18th 2017Using a liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) method in conjunction with two complementary types of chromatographic retention modes - reversed phase and aqueous normal phase - various compounds present in mesquite flour extracts were identified. Because of the diverse types of chemical constituents found in such natural product extracts, a single chromatographic mode may not be sufficient for a comprehensive characterization. However, the combination of reversed-phase and aqueous normal phase LC can encompass a wide range of analyte polarity. This characterization of the composition of mesquite flour could be used in future studies to elucidate the beneficial health effects of its consumption.
Statistics for Analysts Who Hate Statistics, Part IV: Clustering
January 1st 2017Part IV of this series takes a closer look at clustering. Clustering can be very useful at observing your data when the sample dimensionality is large. This is a barbarian term meaning that diversity among your samples may be wide. In that case, the space reduction provided by principal component analysis (PCA) is not always convincing, because the simplification provided by a single two-dimensional plot erases too much information. Clustering allows you to preserve more information.
Nontargeted Metabolite Profiling in Next-Generation Plant Breeding: A Case Study in Malting Barley
October 1st 2016The power of nontargeted metabolite profiling is illustrated in a study focused on the determination of molecular markers in malting barley that are predictive of desirable malting quality for brewing applications. The metabolite extraction, detection, and analysis methods are high throughput and reproducible, and therefore, this approach represents a practical addition to the plant breeder’s molecular toolbox.
The development of various analytical MS methods to investigate the chemical composition of liquids used in electronic cigarettes and characterize their quality is presented in this study.