Quantitative determination of un-derivatised amino acids in artistic mural paintings using high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

Characterization of proteins in cultural heritage using MALDI–TOF and LC–MS/MS mass spectrometric techniques

Identification of proteinaceous materials in artworks is of high interest to restorers-conservators, art historians and archaeologists, because it helps to shed light on the used painting techniques, to attribute unknown artworks, to make conclusions on prehistoric diets, etc. The chapter is devoted to the mass spectrometry instrumentation, evaluation of obtained data and it is showing several examples of the application of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time-of-flight and liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization–quadrupole–time-of-flight mass spectrometers on cultural heritage samples.

Identification of proteins, drying oils, waxes and resins in the works of art micro-samples by chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques

Simplified method for simultaneous identification of proteins, drying oils, waxes, and resins in the works-of-art samples was developed. Liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry were used to identify natural materials most frequently encountered in historical paintings. Protein binders were extracted with ammonia and purified using miniaturized solid-phase microextraction (Omix tips) to efficiently suppress matrix interferences. Zwitterionic stationary phase was used for separation of 16 underivatized amino acids analysis with hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography that was subsequently quantified with liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. Gas chromatography with mass spectrometry was used to analyze drying oils, waxes, and resins after one-step saponification/transmethylation with (m-trifluoromethylphenyl)trimethylammonium hydroxide (Meth-Prep II). While the drawback of this reagent is low reactivity towards hydroxyl groups, sample pretreatment was much simpler as compared to the other methods. Fatty acids derivatization with the Meth-Prep II reagent was compared with their silylation using N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide/trimethylchlorosilane mixture. It was concluded that fatty acids analysis as their methyl esters instead of trimethylsilyl esters had a minor impact on the method sensitivity. The developed method was used to analyze samples from 16^th and 17^th century historical paintings.

Direct determination of underivatized amino acids from Ginkgo biloba leaves by using hydrophilic interaction ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

Ginkgo biloba leaf extract has been widely used in dietary supplements and more recently in some foods and beverages. In addition to the well-known flavonol glycosides and terpene lactones, G. biloba leaves are also rich in amino acids. To determine the content of free amino acids, a reliable method has been established by using hydrophilic interaction ultra-HPLC coupled with ESI-MS. 20 free amino acids were simultaneously determined without derivatization in 12 min. The proposed method was fully validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity, repeatability, as well as recovery. Furthermore, the principal component analysis was applied to different G. biloba leaves collected in November (after fruit harvest season), which revealed that the samples from different production areas exhibited regional disparity in different clusters in accordance with their various hydrophilic interaction chromatograms coupled with mass profiles. The established approach could be helpful for evaluation of the potential values as dietary supplements and the quality control of G. biloba leaves, which might also be utilized for the investigation of other medicinal herbs containing amino acids.

Towards identification of traditional European and indigenous Australian paint binders using pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry

We report a pyrolysis GC-MS method capable of analysing Indigenous Australian and European binders typically used in the manufacture of culturally important painted works. Eleven different traditional European binders and ten different Indigenous Australian binders were examined. The method allows discrimination between highly complex and impure lipid, resin, polysaccharide, wax, and protein-based binders. Each was found to have characteristic pyrolysis products that were unique to the binder material, demonstrating the potential for differentiation of these binders on Australian Aboriginal artworks towards identification and conservation of cultural heritage.

Standardised methods for amino acid analysis of food

Amino acids (AA) are essential nutritional components of a balanced diet and occur in foods in either the free AA form or as the building blocks of proteins. The analysis of AAs in foods is composed of a number of unit operations; the release of the AAs from the food matrix, the separation of the individual AAs and their quantification using calibration standards. Each of these steps has their own idiosyncrasies, e.g. different hydrolysis conditions are required for the optimal release of different AAs and there are a diverse number and type of food matrices, such that most laboratories adapt methods to best suit their applications. There is currently no official standardised method for AA analysis, although the Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC) has validated methods for a number of individual AA components. The established analytical techniques of HPLC (ion exchange or reversed phase) and GC-MS have recently been supplemented by a number of new methods. These include capillary electrophoresis MS and Ultra HPLC-MS, and LC with other detectors. This review will address the intricacies and concerns of the protein hydrolysis step, discuss what specifications or prerequisites need to be placed on the existing and new methods and laboratories using these methods, comment on whether one method can successfully satisfy the exacting requirements of the various unit operations, and finally pose the question ‘Is there any merit in ‘developing’ a validated (e.g. AOAC) official method of analysis for AAs in food?’

Elemental labeling for the identification of proteinaceous-binding media in art works by ICP-MS

In the history of art, artists have used many different organic compounds to dissolve pigments and apply them onto a support to obtain a paint layer. Proteins were used with success from the Middle Ages up to the Renaissance, and the traditional protein sources were animal parts (skins, tendons and bones) or milk and eggs. Moreover, some of these materials are commonly used as adhesive. In this paper, the first application of the metallomic analytical technique to the identification of proteins in artworks is reported. Samples were derivatized with DTPA/Eu and the derivatization procedure was evaluated by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight before high performance liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma MS analysis. This study has been carried out on laboratory models prepared in-house for method development, resulting in the correct identification of the different classes of proteinaceous binders typically used. In addition, some unknown paint layer samples have been analyzed demonstrating that the method is applicable to very small sample amounts (0.6 mg), which are compatible with the amount normally available for this kind of analysis. The results obtained demonstrate the effectiveness of the method, suggesting the potential future use as novel diagnostic tool in the scientific study of artworks.