Authenticity assessment of natural fruit flavour compounds in foods and beverages by auto-HS–SPME stereoselective GC–MS

Expanding the Role of Chiral Drugs and Chiral Nanomaterials as a Potential Therapeutic Tool

Chirality, the property of molecules having mirror-image forms, plays a crucial role in pharmaceutical and biomedical research. This review highlights its growing importance, emphasizing how chiral drugs and nanomaterials impact drug effectiveness, safety, and diagnostics. Chiral molecules serve as precise diagnostic tools, aiding in accurate disease detection through unique biomolecule interactions. The article extensively covers chiral drug applications in treating cardiovascular diseases, CNS disorders, local anesthesia, anti-inflammatories, antimicrobials, and anticancer drugs. Additionally, it explores the emerging field of chiral nanomaterials, highlighting their suitability for biomedical applications in diagnostics and therapeutics, enhancing medical treatments.

Qualitative identification of volatile compounds in foods and flowers using passive headspace extraction with activated charcoal fabric

This study investigates the application of passive headspace analysis to several different foods and flowers and compares these results to other published studies. The method demonstrates the applicability of passive headspace analysis for extraction and qualitative analysis of volatile flavor components of citrus fruits and flower blossoms. The method is simple, inexpensive, fast, and provides an alternative to analysis of volatile flavor and fragrance compounds using solid phase microextraction techniques and other extraction techniques.

A two-tiered system of analysis to tackle rice fraud: The Indian Basmati study

Demand for high quality Basmati rice has increased significantly in the last decade. This commodity is highly vulnerable to fraud, especially in the post COVID-19 era. A unique two-tiered analytical system comprised of rapid on-site screening of samples using handheld portable Near-infrared NIR and laboratory confirmatory technique using a Head space gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) strategy for untargeted analysis was developed. Chemometric models built using NIR data correctly predicted nearly 100% of Pusa 1121 and Taraori, two high value types of Basmati, from potential adulterants. Furthermore, rice VOC profile fingerprints showed very good classification (R2 >0.9, Q2 > 0.9, Accuracy > 0.99) for these high quality Basmati varieties from potential adulterant varieties with aldehydes identified as key VOC marker compounds. Using a two-tiered system of a rapid method for on-site screening of many samples alongside a laboratory-based confirmatory method can classify Basmati rice varieties, protecting the supply chain from fraud.

Quantitation of Select Terpenes/Terpenoids and Nicotine Using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry with High-Temperature Headspace Sampling

Plants are the main sources of many high-value bioactive terpenoids used in the medical, fragrance, and food industries. Increasing demand for these bioactive plants and their derivative products (e.g., cannabis and extracts thereof) requires robust approaches to verify feedstock, identify product adulteration, and ensure product safety. Reported here are single-laboratory validation details for a robust testing method to quantitate select terpenes and terpenoids in dry plant materials and terpenoid-containing vaping liquids (e.g., a derivative product) using high-temperature headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, with glycerol used as a headspace solvent. Validated method recoveries were 75-103%, with excellent repeatability (relative standard deviation (RSD) < 5%) and intermediate precision (RSD < 12%). The use of high-temperature headspace (180 °C) permitted terpene and terpenoid profiles to be monitored at temperatures consistent with vaping conditions.

Authenticity of raspberry flavor in food products using SPME-chiral-GC-MS

A fast and simple method for authenticating raspberry flavors from food products was developed. The two enantiomers of the compound (E)‐α‐ionone from raspberry flavor were separated on a chiral gas chromatographic column. Based on the ratio of these two enantiomers, the naturalness of a raspberry flavor can be evaluated due to the fact that a natural flavor will consist almost exclusively of the R enantiomer, while a chemical synthesis of the same compound will result in a racemic mixture. Twenty‐seven food products containing raspberry flavors where investigated using SPME‐chiral‐GC‐MS. We found raspberry jam, dried raspberries, and sodas declared to contain natural aroma all contained almost only R‐(E)‐α‐ionone supporting the content of natural raspberry aroma. Six out of eight sweets tested did not indicate a content of natural aroma on the labeling which was in agreement with the almost equal distribution of the R and S isomer. Two products were labeled to contain natural raspberry flavors but were found to contain almost equal amounts of both enantiomers indicating a presence of synthetic raspberry flavors only. Additionally, two products that were labeled to contain both raspberry juice and flavor showed equal amounts of both enantiomers, indicating the presence of synthetic flavor.

Toward the stereochemical identification of prohibited characterizing flavors in tobacco products: the case of strawberry flavor

With the revision of the European Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU), characterizing flavors such as strawberry, candy, vanillin or chocolate will be prohibited in cigarettes and fine-cut tobacco. Product surveillance will therefore require analytical means to define and subsequently detect selected characterizing flavors that are formed by supplemented flavors within the complex matrix tobacco. We have analyzed strawberry-flavored tobacco products as an example for characterizing fruit-like aroma. Using this approach, we looked into aroma components to find indicative patterns or features that can be used to satisfy obligatory product information as requested by the European Directive. Accordingly, a headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) technique was developed and coupled to subsequent gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to characterize different strawberry-flavored tobacco products (cigarettes, fine-cut tobacco, liquids for electronic cigarettes, snus, shisha tobacco) for their volatile additives. The results were compared with non-flavored, blend characteristic flavored and other fruity-flavored cigarettes, as well as fresh and dried strawberries. Besides different esters and aldehydes, the terpenes linalool, α-terpineol, nerolidol and limonene as well as the lactones γ-decalactone, γ-dodecalactone and γ-undecalactone could be verified as compounds sufficient to convey some sort of strawberry flavor to tobacco. Selected flavors, i.e., limonene, linalool, α-terpineol, citronellol, carvone and γ-decalactone, were analyzed further with respect to their stereoisomeric composition by using enantioselective HS-SPME-GC/MS. These experiments confirmed that individual enantiomers that differ in taste or physiological properties can be distinguished within the tobacco matrix. By comparing the enantiomeric composition of these compounds in the tobacco with that of fresh and dried strawberries, it can be concluded that non-natural strawberry aroma is usually used to produce strawberry-flavored tobacco products. Such authenticity control can become of interest particularly when manufacturers claim that natural sources were used for flavoring of products. Although the definition of characterizing flavors by analytical means remains challenging, specific compounds or features are required to be defined for routine screening of reported information. Clarifications by sensory testing might still be necessary, but could be limited to a few preselected samples.

Enantioselectivity of mass spectrometry: challenges and promises

With the fast growing market of pure enantiomer drugs and bioactive molecules, new chiral-selective analytical tools have been instigated including the use of mass spectrometry (MS). Even though MS is one of the best analytical tools that has efficiently been used in several pharmaceutical and biological applications, traditionally MS is considered as a "chiral-blind" technique. This limitation is due to the MS inability to differentiate between two enantiomers of a chiral molecule based merely on their masses. Several approaches have been explored to assess the potential role of MS in chiral analysis. The first approach depends on the use of MS-hyphenated techniques utilizing fast and sensitive chiral separation tools such as liquid chromatography (LC), gas chromatography (GC), and capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled to MS detector. More recently, several alternative separation techniques have been evaluated such as supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC); the latter being a hybrid technique that combines the efficiency of CE with the selectivity of LC. The second approach is based on using the MS instrument solely for the chiral recognition. This method depends on the behavioral differences between enantiomers towards a foreign molecule and the ability of MS to monitor such differences. These behavioral differences can be divided into three types: (i) differences in the enantiomeric affinity for association with the chiral selector, (ii) differences of the enantiomeric exchange rate with a foreign reagent, and (iii) differences in the complex MS dissociation behaviors of the enantiomers. Most recently, ion mobility spectrometry was introduced to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate chiral compounds. This article provides an overview of MS role in chiral analysis by discussing MS based methodologies and presenting the challenges and promises associated with each approach.

Endocrine disruptors and asthma-associated chemicals in consumer products

BACKGROUND

Laboratory and human studies raise concerns about endocrine disruption and asthma resulting from exposure to chemicals in consumer products. Limited labeling or testing information is available to evaluate products as exposure sources.

OBJECTIVES

We analytically quantified endocrine disruptors and asthma-related chemicals in a range of cosmetics, personal care products, cleaners, sunscreens, and vinyl products. We also evaluated whether product labels provide information that can be used to select products without these chemicals.

METHODS

We selected 213 commercial products representing 50 product types. We tested 42 composited samples of high-market-share products, and we tested 43 alternative products identified using criteria expected to minimize target compounds. Analytes included parabens, phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), triclosan, ethanolamines, alkylphenols, fragrances, glycol ethers, cyclosiloxanes, and ultraviolet (UV) filters.

RESULTS

We detected 55 compounds, indicating a wide range of exposures from common products. Vinyl products contained > 10% bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and could be an important source of DEHP in homes. In other products, the highest concentrations and numbers of detects were in the fragranced products (e.g., perfume, air fresheners, and dryer sheets) and in sunscreens. Some products that did not contain the well-known endocrine-disrupting phthalates contained other less-studied phthalates (dicyclohexyl phthalate, diisononyl phthalate, and di-n-propyl phthalate; also endocrine-disrupting compounds), suggesting a substitution. Many detected chemicals were not listed on product labels.

CONCLUSIONS

Common products contain complex mixtures of EDCs and asthma-related compounds. Toxicological studies of these mixtures are needed to understand their biological activity. Regarding epidemiology, our findings raise concern about potential confounding from co-occurring chemicals and misclassification due to variability in product composition. Consumers should be able to avoid some target chemicals-synthetic fragrances, BPA, and regulated active ingredients-using purchasing criteria. More complete product labeling would enable consumers to avoid the rest of the target chemicals.