Multi-User Equipment approved in grant 2017/50349-0: gas chromatograph coupled to mass spectrometer triple quadrupole - GC-MS/MS with an olfactometer detector as accessory

Abstract

This multi-user equipment is a Gas chromatograph with split/splitless injector, double column oven, temperature control interface and triple quadrupole mass spectrometer with data acquisition software, control and library of volatile compounds. It is also equipped with an automatic injector for liquid injection, SPME and headspace (Combipal or equivalent). The accessory Olfactory Detector (Olfactometer) has gas flow control, including column flow divider that allows simultaneous analysis in the mass spectrometer. The equipment is applicable for various types of analyzes, including analysis of components and contaminants of packaging and food (eg. furan, 3-MCPD esters and glycidol esters, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and unintentional added substances in packaging materials). The GC-MS / MS system has great application potential in the area of food science and technology. Specifically in the research areas prioritized by ITAL's PDIP, the following applications are planned: - In the research line on contaminants formed during food processing, several studies can be performed with greater sensitivity and specificity, such the investigation of the occurrence of esters of 3-MCPD, 2-MCPD and glycidol, which are formed in baking processes and during the refining of oils. Researches on furans may also be boosted, which is a contaminant potentially formed from various food constituents, such as vitamin C, amino acids and fatty acids. Research on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in foods, including their oxygenated and halogenated derivatives, will also be feasible by GC-MS / MS. - In the packaging area the GC-MS / MS system will be used for analysis of all materials: plastics, metal with organic coatings and cellulosic materials, elastomeric, inks and adhesives. Among the main applications we can mention the identification of unknown volatile and semi volatile substances in packaging. These unknown substances can be associated to the degradation of components during the packaging production or they may be impurities of packaging components, they can also be formed during the use of the packaging in unconventional technologies (as irradiation, high-pressure treatment etc.), or in the post-consumer recycling process. The identification of those compounds requires the use of high sensitive equipment as the GC/MS/MS and is necessary to assess whether the substances detected have carcinogenic potential and whether the population is exposed to unknown hazard contaminants. In particular, within the PDIP-ITAL the Youth Investigator 01 and BPE 02 Fellowships will employ this technique to evaluate contaminants in recycled PET and irradiated films, respectively. - The Post Doctoral Scholarship 07 "Estimating the global quality of the coffee beverage from the GC-MS/MS evaluation" will be another research made possible by the equipment. The use of an olfactometer in parallel with the mass spectrometer is a necessary resource for the sensorial evaluation of the aroma components that are separated in the chromatographic column. The column effluent is divided between the mass spectrometer and the olfactometer, where trained raters can identify the character and odor intensity associated with each chemical compound simultaneously identified in the mass spectrometer. For these analyzes it is necessary an automatic injector that allows the use of appropriate techniques for the analysis of volatile compounds. In this case, the ability of the injector to allow the use of SPME fiber or headspace is a very desirable feature. For the foregoing, this equipment will have multidisciplinary application in the Institute, benefiting researches from the two strategic areas of ITAL's PDIP. (AU)