Analytica

To meet consumer demand for fermented beverages with a wide range of flavors, as well as for quality assurance, it is important to characterize volatiles and their relationships with raw materials, microbial and fermentation processes, and the aging process. Sample preparation techniques coupled with comprehensive 2D gas chromatography (GC×GC) and mass spectrometry (MS) are proven techniques for the identification and quantification of various volatiles in fermented beverages. A few articles discuss the application of GC×GC for the measurement of fermented beverage volatiles and the problems faced in the experimental analysis. This review critically discusses each step of GC×GC-MS workflow in the specific context of fermented beverage volatiles’ research, including the most frequently applied volatile extraction techniques, GC×GC instrument setup, and data handling. The application of novel sampling techniques to shorten preparation times and increase analytical sensitivity is discussed. The pros and cons of thermal and flow modulators are evaluated, and emphasis is given to the use of polar-semipolar configurations to enhance detection limits. The most relevant Design of Experiment (DoE) strategies for GC×GC parameter optimization as well as data processing procedures are reported and discussed. Finally, some consideration of the current state of the art and future perspective, including the crucial role of AI and chemometrics. Full article

Continuous monitoring of body movements or physicochemical health indicators by various wearable devices with intriguing geometries has attracted increasing research attention. Among them, fiber-based wearable devices have been intensively investigated due to the ease of fabrication, excellent flexibility and adaptability, and abundant applicable working mechanisms. Although various spinning methods can prepare composite fibers, obtaining highly conductive fibers at high filler-loading fractions has always been difficult. In addition, most synthetic fibers are designed only for specific applications, exhibiting narrow applicability. This work proposed a dual-functional smart fiber-based sensor that could work based on either piezoresistive or electrochemical mechanisms. Through the wet spinning of dopes containing nanosized carbon black and thermoplastic polyurethane, nanocomposite fibers with decent electrical conductivities (2.10 × 10² S m⁻¹ or 4.77 × 10⁻³ Ω·m), high mechanical stretch abilities and toughness (ε_max~2400%, K_IC = 61.44 MJ m⁻³), as well as excellent self-heal abilities (η ≥ 64.8%), could be obtained. Such coupled electromechanical properties endowed the as-synthesized fibers with strain-sensing or biomarker monitoring capabilities based on piezoresistive or electrochemical mechanisms. The proposed novel dual-functional smart fibers demonstrated potential for multifunctional wearable health monitoring devices. Full article

Procedures for determination of the residual solvent and volatile impurity content in pharmaceutical products usually rely on dissolution in a solvent, followed by headspace-gas chromatography (HS-GC) analysis. Whereas chromatographic systems can utilize a wide variety of solvents, direct-injection mass spectrometry (DIMS) techniques have fewer solvent options, because elimination of the chromatographic column means that the instrument is more susceptible to saturation. Since water has the lowest impact, it has almost always been the default solvent for DIMS. In this study, selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS)—a DIMS technique—was applied to the systematic evaluation of the proportion of solvent that can be utilized (with aqueous diluent) without causing instrument saturation and while maintaining satisfactory analytical performance. The solvents evaluated were N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), methanol, and triacetin. All solvents are compatible with headspace-SIFT-MS analysis at 5% (min) in water, while DMI, DMAC, and DMSO can be used at higher concentrations (50, 100, and 25%, respectively), though suffering substantial diminution of the limit of quantitation for non-polar analytes at higher proportions of non-aqueous solvent. Analytical performance was also evaluated using linearity, repeatability, and recovery measurements. This work demonstrates that organic solvents diluted in water can be utilized with headspace-SIFT-MS and provide an approach for evaluation of additional diluent solvents. Full article

In recent years, indiscriminate consumption and dumping of antibiotics have become destructive to human health and causes ecotoxicological pollution. Here, the irregular particle nanosized dendrite structure of lanthanum-doped cerium oxide (LCO) decorated with sheet-like reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composite was utilized to detect the sulfonamide-based drug sulfadiazine (SZ). LCO@RGO nanocomposite was prepared using the hydrothermal method, the synergistic effect between LCO and RGO facilitates electron transferability and conductivity which enhances the electrochemical properties toward the detection of SZ. The detection of SZ expressed a lower detection limit (0.005 µM) and linear range (0.01–265 µM) of the fabricated LCO@RGO/GCE electrode toward SZ, analyzed using the highly sensitive DPV technique. Also, DPV was utilized to determined shows good repeatability, reproducibility, and storage stability of fabricated LCO@RGO/GCE. Moreover, effective practicability was proven in human blood serum and river water samples with great recovery results. All the above probes the synthesized LCO@RGO’s thriving and outstanding electrocatalytic performance of this nanocomposite’s highly sensitive detection of SZ in real biological and environmental samples. Full article

Every day, more and more consumers choose to drink bottled water instead of tap water, since they believe that it is superior in quality. One of the criteria used by European consumers to choose bottled water is the geographical region of the spring. The flavor of the water is an additional factor that influences consumers’ choices. As a result, determining the flavor of water is gaining popularity and is thus turning into a prominent field of study. However, studies on the potential environmental factors that affect the sensory characteristics of water (i.e., “terroir” of water) are limited. To this end, we investigated the composition of natural mineral water spring from Mount Smolikas in Greece over a two-year period to find any potential alterations in water composition. The physicochemical parameters (pH, conductivity, turbidity, color, and total hardness) of the water samples were examined, along with their content in metal ions, inorganic salts (cations and anions), and total organic carbon. Additionally, the water samples were analyzed for their content of off-odor volatile compounds (i.e., 2-methylisoborneol and geosmin) that can be naturally found in water. The study also examined the correlation of climate conditions (accumulated rainfall and mean temperature) with the parameters above using a principal component analysis and a multivariate correlation analysis. The results showed that the physicochemical characteristics of water samples complied with European regulations. Metals, anions, and cations were all below the corresponding parametric values established by the European Commission. The off-odor organic compounds, 2-methylisoborneol, and geosmin, had average concentrations of 9.4 and 2.7 ng/L, respectively. Chromium and aluminum elevated concentrations might be attributed to specific ores present near the water source, while pH, conductivity, total hardness, nitrates, and off-odor compounds levels could be fluctuated due to local climate conditions. The study revealed a good positive correlation (>0.7) between the quantity of rainfall and the level of potassium cations. Moreover, a strong negative correlation (>0.9) was observed between magnesium cations and the mean temperature of the local area. The study can be used as a benchmark for future studies to determine the terroir of mineral water. Full article

The metallome has been involved in the pathological investigation into ocular tissue for decades; however, as technologies advance, more information can be ascertained from individual tissue sections that were not previously possible. Herein, a demonstration of complementary techniques has been utilized to describe the distribution and concentrations of essential metals in both wildtype (WT) and rhodopsin (Rho^−/−) ocular tissues. The multimodal approach described is an example of complementary datasets that can be produced when employing a multifaceted analytical approach. Heterogenous distributions of copper and zinc were observable within both WT and Rho^−/− tissue by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), and the distributions of further trace elements notoriously problematic for ICP-MS analysis (phosphorous, Sulfur, chlorine, potassium, calcium, iron, and aluminum) were analysed by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). Full article

In this study, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized using the Turkevich method. This article explains the didactic step-by-step synthesis, showing pictures of the entire process, including a well-explained mechanism and characterization study. Synthesis involves the reduction of NaAuCl₄ using sodium citrate at high temperatures (approximately 90 °C). The two main mechanisms used to explain AuNPs synthesis via the Turkevich method are also discussed. The first mechanism considers that a nanowire intermediary and the other proposes that aggregate intermediates are not formed at any time during the synthesis. The materials (NaAuCl₄ and AuNPs) were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The UV-Vis spectrum exhibits an absorption maximum at 521 nm because of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption band of the AuNPs. The SEM images of NaAuCl₄ show crystals with cubic shapes, while the AuNPs have an average particle size of approximately 16–25 nm and particles that appear mainly spherical. To confirm the particle shapes, AFM was conducted, and it was possible to clearly observe individual spherical nanoparticles and their aggregates, and the average diameter of these AuNPs was approximately 12–19 nm. The XRD pattern of AuNPs showed four main characteristic peaks corresponding to the (111), (200), (220), and (311) planes, confirming the presence of cubic (FCC) gold. The DLS presented an average particle size of 3.3 ± 0.9 nm and a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.574. AuNPs were synthesized using a simple and rapid method. The resulting spherical and ultra-small particles can be used in several applications. Full article

This work presents the first development of an analytical turbidimetric method for the determination of legal alcohols in alcohol-based hand sanitizer products. A typical iodoform reaction is exploited to form a yellow product in the form of precipitates. An iodoform test shows a positive result as yellow precipitates in the presence of ethanol and isopropanol; therefore, the test can only be used to distinguish between methanol and those legal alcohols. In the presence of molecular iodine (I₂) and a strong alkaline solution, the legal alcohol is converted to the corresponding carbonyl compound (i.e., ethanol to acetaldehyde, isopropanol to acetone). The susceptibility of this intermediate towards the reaction with hydroxide ions (strong alkaline condition) results in formations of yellow precipitation of iodoform (CHI₃) and a water-soluble carboxylate salt in the solution. Therefore, this change allows for the detection of legal alcohols through either naked-eye observation (as semi-quantitative analysis) or a common benchtop/portable photometer/spectrophotometer (as quantitative analysis) by means of turbidimetric analysis. In this work, turbidimetry is employed, which is a useful alternative detection method in analytical practice, especially with colored samples in hand sanitizing products. This is because they can employ wavelengths at which the colored solution does not absorb light. As a result of our developed method, the calibration plots are in the range of 30 to 100% (v/v) for both ethanol and isopropanol. The limit of detection (LOD) (3SD of y-intercept/slope) was found to be 7.4% (v/v) ethanol and 6.5% (v/v) isopropanol. Direct analysis of the non-pretreatment of the sample is achieved. The results indicate that our new proposed analytical method is fit for purpose and valid to detect the legal alcohols in alcohol-based hand sanitizing products for both international and Thai regulations (at least 70% (v/v)). Our quantitative results were also comparable to a standard analytical method, such as the use of a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Our developed method and analytical operation could potentially be developed into a practically portable analysis. Full article

The resinous wood produced by the Aquilaria and Gyrinops species—agarwood—is both rare and highly valuable. It is used in products from perfumes to medicines and has an estimated global market value of $32 billion. As a result, the adulteration and illegal purchasing of agarwood is widespread and of specific concern to enforcement agencies globally. Therefore, it is of interest to have a fast, reliable, and user-friendly method to confirm the authenticity of a sample of agarwood. We investigated the use of near infrared (NIR) data to develop a method that rapidly distinguished between authentic and non-authentic agarwood samples, based upon a soft independent model of class analogy (SIMCA), using software specific to the application of infrared data to material authentication. The model showed a clear distinction between the authentic and non-authentic samples. However, the small values involved led to poor automatic validation results. Full article

Electrical conductivity is one of the main parameters for the characterization of water solutions and for the monitoring of water sources. In this paper, we describe a very inexpensive prototype for conductivity measurements based on Arduino UNO R3 coupled to an open-source circuit board with only passive components. We designed the printed circuit board (PCB) and the suitable handmade cell using stainless-steel electrodes and wrote the freeware management software; the assembly of the prototype, including a temperature probe, and results were relatively simple. In order to allow for replicates, the instrument design, schematics, and software are available with an open-source license. Thirty-one bottles of spring waters with conductivities of between 15.2 and 2000 µS cm⁻¹ were tested using both this prototype and a commercial conductivity meter. Data correlation produced an equation that allowed us to obtain the conductivity value, starting with the value furnished by the Arduino apparatus in arbitrary units. The prototype is accurate enough (inaccuracy lower than 6% excluding very low conductivity values) and precise (RSD% of about 5%). Even if a lot of commercial instruments for conductivity are available, we propose a prototype built with the aim of lowering the cost of measurements, while ensuring that they remain useful for lab or in situ application, as well as for continuous water monitoring/management systems. A further aim was to propose the building of the instrument as a laboratory exercise; this can help students to better understand basic theoretical concepts regarding conductivity, electronic components, and the acquisition and treatment of analytical data. Full article

The adaptable nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to the emergence of multiple viral variants of concern. This research builds upon a previous demonstration of sampling human hand odor to distinguish SARS-CoV-2 infection status in order to incorporate considerations of the disease variants. This study demonstrates the ability of human odor expression to be implemented as a non-invasive medium for the differentiation of SARS-CoV-2 variants. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were extracted from SARS-CoV-2-positive samples using solid phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis (sPLS-DA) modeling revealed that supervised machine learning could be used to predict the variant identity of a sample using VOC expression alone. The class discrimination of Delta and Omicron BA.5 variant samples was performed with 95.2% (±0.4) accuracy. Omicron BA.2 and Omicron BA.5 variants were correctly classified with 78.5% (±0.8) accuracy. Lastly, Delta and Omicron BA.2 samples were assigned with 71.2% (±1.0) accuracy. This work builds upon the framework of non-invasive techniques producing diagnostics through the analysis of human odor expression, all in support of public health monitoring. Full article

This review provides insights into the current research on pyrolytic bio-oil obtained from different feedstock regarding upgrading techniques and applications such as energy, fuels, chemicals, and carbon materials. Raw bio-oil is not appropriate for transportation and ignition due to undesired properties; therefore, several challenges have been reported regarding its suitable market application. For liquid biofuel production, thermochemical pathways, particularly hydrogenation and deoxygenation, must be carried out, and for chemical production, liquid solvents are mostly used via physical separation. The main issues related to downstream processes with environmental and economic assessment are also covered. The analysis indicates that the major bottlenecks for commercial applications of upgraded bio-oil are the initial stage (upgrading techniques), high production costs, and pilot scale production. Finally, future directions are addressed for the improvement of bio-oil upgrading. Full article

Achieving quantification of biomarkers in body fluids is crucial to the indication of the state of a person’s body and health. Wearable sensors could offer a convenient, fast and painless sensing strategy. In this work, we fabricated a wearable electrochemical patch sensor for simultaneous detection of dopamine and glucose in sweat. The sensor was printed on a flexible PDMS substrate with a simple screen-printed method. This prepared four-electrode sensor integrated two working electrodes for dopamine and glucose electrochemical sensing, one Ag/AgCl reference electrode and one carbon counter electrode, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and chronoamperometry were used for the evaluation of the wearable electrochemical patch sensor. It exhibits good sensitivity, wide linear range, low limit of detection, good anti-interference and reproducibility toward dopamine and glucose sensing in PBS and sweat. Full article

This work proposes a simple, fast and low-cost voltammetric method for the determination of trimethoprim at low concentrations in an analytical and real matrix (river water sample, bovine serum and synthetic urine). For this, a glassy carbon electrode was modified with Printex(6L) carbon and gold nanoparticles in a chitosan film crosslinked with epichlorohydrin. After that, the electrochemical measurement system contained a solution of phosphate buffer at pH 4.0 with commands for the square wave voltammetry technique. The results achieved showed a limit of detection equal to 12.4 nmol L⁻¹ and a linear concentration range from 0.20 to 6.0 μmol L⁻¹. The sensor selectivity was tested in the presence of various electroactive molecules, and the results showed that the detection of TMP in the presence of possible interferents was not masked. In addition, the applicability of the AuNPs–Printex(6L)–CTS:EPH/GCE sensor was also verified in synthetic samples of urine, bovine serum and river water through standard addition and recovery tests. Finally, the results of this analytical proposal portray a simple, fast and efficient method for the detection of TMP in different matrices. Full article

Ximenia americana L., popularly known in Brazil as “ameixa do-mato, ameixa-brava, and ameixa-do-sertão,” is widely used in folk medicine to treat several intestinal disorders. The present study assessed the potential mechanisms of action underlying the gastroprotective activity of the hydroethanolic extract of Ximenia americana L. (EHXA) stem bark. The acute toxicity of EHXA was estimated, and later, the gastroprotective effect in mice was assessed through acute models of gastric lesions induced by acidified or absolute ethanol and indomethacin, where the following mechanisms were pharmacologically analyzed: the involvement of prostaglandins (PG), histamine (H₂) receptors, ATP-dependent potassium channels, sulfhydryl groups (SH), α₂ adrenergic receptors, nitric oxide (NO), myeloperoxidase (MPO), gastric mucus production, and acetylcholine-mediated intestinal motility. Regarding toxicity, EHXA did not cause deaths or signs of toxicity (LD₅₀ greater than or equal to 2000 mg/kg/p.o.). When the gastroprotective effect was assessed, EHXA (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg/p.o.) reduced the rate of lesions induced by acidified ethanol by 65.63; 53.66, and 58.02% in absolute ethanol at 88.91, 78.82, and 74.68%, respectively, when compared to the negative control group. In the indomethacin-induced gastric injury model, the reductions were 84.69, 55.99, 55.99, and 42.50%, respectively. The study revealed that EHXA might stimulate mucus production and reduce intestinal motility through SH groups, NO production, and activation of α₂ adrenergic receptors. The results indicated that EHXA had significant gastroprotective activity in the evaluated models. However, further investigation is required to elucidate the cellular and molecular events underlying the action of EHXA components and to correlate them with the modulation of the signaling pathways, as demonstrated by the current pharmacological approach. Therefore, the results demonstrated in the present study, as well as previously reported findings, support the recommendation of using this species in traditional communities in Brazil. Full article

Different starch properties may cause alterations in the foodstuff’s external appearance. However, modification processes in starches are usually secretive. The use of chemically modified starches is regulated by international standards, which makes it important to identify its presence and type. Mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIR)-modified starches’ identification can be hindered by the presence of excess glucose. This research investigates types of modification in commercial starches and in approaches that circumvent MIR’s limitations with exploratory analysis. It also considers that enzymatic hydrolysis (α-amylase and amyloglucosidase) can highlight the points of modification in the structure, which can be detected with infrared assays. To determine if sour cassava starch (FCS) is modified and check its type, six samples were selected: a native one, three of the most common cassava modified starches (etherified, esterified, and FCS), and two laboratory processed samples (Acid, Oxidized). The results showed that the sour cassava starch showed similarities with a commercial ester and an oxidized cassava starch, which may be due to the formation of a graft, corresponding to what the literature has already reported for corn starch treated with lactic acid and gamma radiation. Full article

Here, we present proof of principle studies to demonstrate how the product ions associated with the ion mobility peaks obtained from a High Kinetic Energy-Ion Mobility Spectrometer (HiKE-IMS) measurement of a volatile can be identified using a Proton Transfer Reaction/Selective Reagent Ion-Time-of-Flight-Mass Spectrometer (PTR/SRI-ToF-MS) when operating both instruments at the same reduced electric field value and similar humidities. This identification of product ions improves our understanding of the ion chemistry occurring in the ion source region of a HiKE-IMS. The combination of the two analytical techniques is needed, because in the HiKE-IMS three reagent ions (NO⁺, H₃O⁺ and O₂^+•) are present at the same time in high concentrations in the reaction region of the instrument for reduced electric fields of 100 Td and above. This means that even with a mass spectrometer coupled to the HiKE-IMS, the assignment of the product ions to a given reagent ion to a high level of confidence can be challenging. In this paper, we demonstrate an alternative approach using PTR/SRI-ToF-MS that allows separate investigations of the reactions of the reagent ions NO⁺, H₃O⁺ and O₂^+•. In this study, we apply this approach to four nitrile containing organic compounds, namely acetonitrile, 2-furonitrile, benzonitrile and acrylonitrile. Both the HiKE-IMS and the PTR/SRI-ToF-MS instruments were operated at a commonly used reduced electric field strength of 120 Td and with gas flows at the same humidities. Full article

Chlorine-containing disinfectants have been widely used all over the world to prevent COVID-19. However, little is known about the potential risk of chlorine-containing disinfectants in the marine environment. Phaeodactylum tricornutum (P. tricornutum) is a typical marine economic diatom, often used as an effective biomarker in ecotoxicology research. Here, the present study has investigated the effect of different effective chlorine concentrations on photosynthesis of P. tricornutum by chlorophyll fluorescence spectroscopy. Results have demonstrated that chlorine exposure promoted the chlorophyll fluorescence intensity at initial stage (24 h), suggesting that a large amount of energy is emitted in the form of fluorescence. However, the chlorophyll fluorescence intensity could not be detected under the high effective chlorine concentrations (6.7 × 10⁻³, 1.0 × 10⁻², 1.3 × 10⁻² and 1.7 × 10⁻² mg L⁻¹) after 48 h, indicating that the chlorine had high toxicity leading to the death of microalgae. In addition, the emission spectra of P. tricornutum were determined to contain two distinct fluorescence peaks representing the core antenna of photosystem II (685 nm) and the photosystem I complexes (710 nm) in the control group. The fluorescence emission peak value at 685 nm is significantly lower than the peak value at 710 nm in the control group, whereas chlorine treatments were opposite. It can be concluded that microalgae can regulate the distribution of excitation energy between the two photosystems to ensure that algae can utilize light energy. The result also found that the peak position of fluorescence emission spectra has a blue shift in all of NaClO treatments. The fluorescence intensity of microalgae excited at 467 nm was lower than that at 439 nm in chlorine treatments, illustrating chlorophyll b antenna was more easily damaged than chlorophyll a antenna. Our findings are providing new insights into the changing mechanism of chlorophyll fluorescence on P. tricornutum under chlorine stress and valuable data for risk assessment of marine environments. Full article

This study describes the preparation and use of a dental amalgam electrode for the voltammetric determination of triazine-based pesticides ametryn, atrazine, and simazine in natural waters, using square wave voltammetry. The experimental and voltammetric parameters were previously optimized, and analytical curves were constructed to calculate analytical parameters. The detection limits presented values that were lower than the maximum limits of residues permitted in natural water by the Brazilian Environmental Agency, 100 µg L⁻¹ (100 ppb), and around the values obtained using other electrodic surfaces or high-performance liquid chromatography, traditionally used in triazine levels determination. Furthermore, the recovery percentages in pure electrolyte and natural waters were around 100%, demonstrating that the methodology proposed is suitable for determining triazines contamination in natural water samples, based on an environmentally friendly procedure. Full article