Multidimensional gas chromatography in combination with accurate mass, tandem mass spectrometry, and element-specific detection for identification of sulfur compounds in tobacco smoke

Identification of Cigarette Brands by Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogy of Volatile Substances

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to develop a method for discriminating cigarette brands based on the profiles of volatile components extracted from the tobacco fraction of the finished cigarettes to authenticate branded cigarettes of unknown origin.

METHODS

An analytical method comprising direct thermal desorption coupled with gas chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed for acquiring volatile profiles of cigarettes. About 290 samples of commercially available cigarettes were analyzed. Within this batch, 123 samples represented four popular cigarette brands. They were selected for in-depth characterization. Multivariate analysis was used to investigate the interrelations among volatile compounds of cigarettes and to identify characteristic markers for the cigarette discrimination. Supervised pattern recognition techniques were used for designing classification models.

RESULTS

Principal component analysis covering all detected volatiles allowed the differentiation of cigarettes based on the brand. A number of 56 volatile components were identified as markers with high discrimination power. These compounds were used for establishing classification models. A method of soft independent modeling of class analogy developed for the four studied cigarette brands proved to be efficient in the classification of unknown cigarettes, with accuracy between 95.9% and 100%.

CONCLUSIONS

The data evaluation by soft independent modeling of class analogy was highly accurate in classification of unknown cigarettes with a low rate of false positives and false negatives. The developed models can be used for discrimination of genuine from non-genuine products with high level of probability.

IMPLICATIONS

Profiling of volatiles, which is commonly used for authentication of different food commodities, was applied for the characterization of cigarette tobacco for the purpose of authentication a cigarette brand. Volatile components with a high discrimination power were identified by means of multivariate statistical methods and used for establishing of a classification model. The classification model was able to discriminate genuine from non-genuine cigarettes with a high level of prediction accuracy. This model could be a powerful tool for tobacco control to judge the authenticity of cigarettes.

The Blossoming of Technology for the Analysis of Complex Aroma Bouquets-A Review on Flavour and Odorant Multidimensional and Comprehensive Gas Chromatography Applications

Multidimensional approaches in gas chromatography have been established as potent tools to (almost) attain fully resolved analyses. Flavours and odours are important application fields for these techniques since they include complex matrices, and are of interest for both scientific study and to consumers. This article is a review of the main research studies in the above theme, discussing the achievements and challenges that demonstrate a maturing of analytical separation technology.

Characterization of a Chinese lignite and the corresponding derivatives using direct analysis in real time quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Direct analysis in real time ionization technique coupled with a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS) was applied to characterize raw coal and coal derivatives in the solid state.