GC-CI-MS/MS Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Isomers in Salami

User Benefits

- CI-MS/MS can isolate difficult to distinguish PAHs isomers, reducing the risk of false positives and expediting the analysis. - Both separation by specific transition and sensitive analysis by high-intensity transition are possible. - It is not easily affected by impurities, and good recovery rate can be obtained even with a simple pretreatment method.

Introduction

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of compounds with two or more benzene rings attached to each other. They are formed by incomplete combustion or pyrolysis of organic substances and can be mixed into food and environmental water. Benzo[a]pyrene, a typical compound, is carcinogenic. Some other PAHs are also suspected to be carcinogenic. For this reason, some PAHs are regulated such as those highlighted. GC/MS and LC/MS analyses have been adopted as official methods but the separation of isomers can be challenging. Indeed, PAHs have multiple isomers due to different benzene ring bond positions. Due to their stable structures, EI- MS/MS collision-induced dissociation (CID) cannot show differences in mass spectra. In addition, due to the close physical properties such as polarity and boiling point, chromatogram separation is difficult, even with dedicated columns.

February 27, 2024 GMT