Determination of Eugenol Residues in Fish Tissue, Transport, and Temporary Water of Aquatic Product by Gas Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry with Application of the Electrospun Nanofibrous Membrane

Using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and electrospun nanofibrous membrane, we developed and validated a simple, rapid, and sensitive methodology for quantifying eugenol residues in fish tissue and water samples. Fish tissue extract and water samples (315 samples) collected from three southeastern China provinces (Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Fujian), originating from eight provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Guangdong, Fujian, Anhui, Shanghai, and Jiangxi, from April 2021 to April 2023 were filtered with an electrospun nanofiber membrane, extracted with trichloromethane/n-hexane, and directly concentrated to dry after simple purification. An internal standard of p-terphenyl in n-hexane and 5-µL injection volumes of the solutions was used to analyze eugenol via internal calibration with a minimum concentration of 0.5 µg/L in water samples and 0.1 µg/kg in aquatic product samples. The highest amount of eugenol was detected in Fujian province, possibly due to the higher temperature during transportation, while the lowest amount was found in Shanghai, which mainly uses temporary fish-culture devices. This is a fast, inexpensive, and effective method for testing large quantities of fish water and meat samples.

Comparison of extraction and clean-up methods for comprehensive screening of organic micropollutants in fish using gas chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry

Monitoring the vast number of micropollutants in the environment by using comprehensive chemical screening is a major analytical challenge. The aim of this study was to evaluate a comprehensive analysis method for screening purposes of fish muscle samples by comparing sample preparation methods for a broad range of mid-to non-polar contaminants. Five extraction and three clean-up methods were evaluated for the analysis of 60 compounds with a log Kow range between 0.8 and 8.3 in fish. Both fresh and freeze-dried muscle tissue and extraction sodium sulphate blanks were included to assess recoveries and matrix effects. The performance of the different methods was evaluated using both comprehensive target and nontarget analysis using high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). The results showed that open-column and ultrasonication extractions (recoveries mostly between 20 and 160 %) resulted in higher recoveries than accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) (recoveries mostly between 20 and 80 %) and bead mixer homogenization extractions (recoveries between 0 and 50 % for the whole Kow range). Multilayer silica was the clean-up method resulting in the lowest matrix effects and highest recoveries, however some compounds (mostly pesticides) were denatured under the acidic conditions used. The convenient and time efficient ultrasonication extraction followed by deactivated silica clean-up proved to be promising for both target and nontarget approaches. The large difference in recoveries and number of detected peaks using target and nontarget approaches between fresh and freeze-dried fish seen for all methods calls for careful consideration, and further studies are needed to improve performance for screening of mid-to non-polar compounds in freeze-dried fish.

Comprehensive Strategy for Sample Preparation for the Analysis of Food Contaminants and Residues by GC-MS/MS: A Review of Recent Research Trends

Food safety and quality have been gaining increasing attention in recent years. Gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), a highly sensitive technique, is gradually being preferred to GC-MS in food safety laboratories since it provides a greater degree of separation on contaminants. In the analysis of food contaminants, sample preparation steps are crucial. The extraction of multiple target analytes simultaneously has become a new trend. Thus, multi-residue analytical methods, such as QuEChERs and adsorption extraction, are fast, simple, cheap, effective, robust, and safe. The number of microorganic contaminants has been increasing worldwide in recent years and are considered contaminants of emerging concern. High separation in MS/MS might be, in certain cases, favored to sample preparation selectivity. The ideal sample extraction procedure and purification method should take into account the contaminants of interest. Moreover, these methods should cooperate with high-resolution MS, and other sensitive full scan MSs that can produce a more comprehensive detection of contaminants in foods. In this review, we discuss the most recent trends in preparation methods for highly effective detection and analysis of food contaminants, which can be considered tools in the control of food quality and safety.

Quantitative Determination of Phthalate Esters from Air Samples Using a Solid-Phase Extraction-type Collection Device

In this study, a solid-phase extraction-type collection device, with styrene-divinylbenzene polymer particles (Sunpak-H) as the adsorbent, was used for the quantitative determination of phthalate esters in air samples. The collection and elution recoveries of eight volatile phthalate esters, i.e., dimethyl phthalate, diethyl phthalate, dipropyl phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, butyl-benzyl phthalate, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, and dioctyl phthalate, were quantitatively evaluated. All analytes were collected using the device up to a sampling volume of 10000 L at a sampling temperature of 35°C without breakthrough. During air collection, moisture was not trapped on the adsorbent. The collected analytes were completely eluted from the device by passing 3 mL of acetone. The eluted solvent was injected into a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry system after the eluted solvent was concentrated, if necessary. After washing the adsorbent using acetone, the device could be reused more than 50 times. The limit of quantification for the analytes was less than 1 ng L^-1 in air at a sampling volume of 600 L with solvent concentration. This device was successfully applied for the quantitative determination of phthalate esters in real air samples, including indoor and in-car air.