Analytical Instrument Documents

According to a recent report in Nature, freshly pressed extra-virgin olive oil contains a compound, oleocanthal, that has properties similar to the common anti-inflammatory drug, ibuprofen. We used DART to rapidly examine cooking oils for the presence of this compound. Fresh-pressed extra-virgin olive oil from a specialty food store was compared with a medium-quality grocery-store brand. Sesame oil and a low-quality spray-on cooking oil were also examined. No sample preparation was required.

Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a hydrocarbon antioxidant that is the source of the red coloring in ripe tomatoes. The potential benefits of nutritional antioxidants such as lycopene have received a great deal of attention in the popular media. A piece of tomato skin was placed in front of the DART and the positive-ion mass spectrum was recorded.

Strobilurins, systemic pesticides originated from natural fungicidal derivatives, play an important role in control of various plant pathogens. Because of their unique protective properties, significant yield enhancements and longer retention of green leaf tissue, strobilurins have been widely used in agriculture since their introduction on the market in 1992. As other pesticides, these compounds are involved in control and monitoring surveys undertaken by regulation authorities.

The AccuTOF-LC time-of-flight mass spectrometer equipped with a DART ion source and AutoDart HTC PAL autosampler, was used for examination of beer in this study. Donprep® immunoaffinity columns (R-Biopharm) was employed for selective isolation of target analyte from the sample. Briefly, 10 mL of beer with added internal standard (¹³C₁₅-deoxynivalenol, 500 ng/ml) were passed through the cartridge, which was then washed with 5 mL of water. Deoxynivalenol was subsequently eluted with 4.5 mL of methanol. Calibration standards containing deoxynivalenol in the range from 100 to 1500 ng/mL and fixed amount of internal standard (500 ng/mL) were prepared for quantification.