Glycans play a critical role in all biology, existing either as free sugars or attached to macromolecules pre- or post-translationally. Glycans can dramatically alter the function of macromolecules, and therefore, understanding a molecular system necessitates the identification and characterization of all the sugars in the system’s glycome. Few tools are currently available to analyze the glycome without derivatization, and fewer still are available for the unbiased characterization of the total glycome without dividing it into targeted subsets. In this talk, we described the implementation of a novel column, the Thermo Scientific™ CarboPac™ PA300-4µm column, in an HPAE-PAD-MS platform for the detection and structural characterization of oligosaccharides from biological and food samples. The detailed instrument setup coupled with the CarboPac PA300-4µm affords an unbiased window into the total glycome, allowing for the characterization of both neutral and charged species alike.

The sample-to-results workflow uses a modified QuPPe extraction with cartridge solid-phase extraction clean-up. Analysis of wheat, leek and baby food samples, with and without the use of labelled internal standards to determine calibration approaches producing results fully compliant with the EU SANTE guidelines for validation and ongoing quality control. The workflow is available as an “off-the-shelf kit,” which includes all instruments, software, necessary consumables, suitability check standard solutions, and a detailed deployment guide for fast implementation and enablement of ongoing optimum performance. You will discover the advantages of IC over other separation techniques, gain a better appreciation of the overall productivity benefits provided by the Thermo Scientific™ Anionic Pesticide Explorer workflow and the level of compliance, productivity and robustness possible by using the workflow in routine analysis.
 

This presentation will cover the methods used for analyzing sugars in food in a busy contract testing laboratory  to meet nutritional information requirements and why ion chromatography is the technique of choice to cover this vital analysis.

Recent developments in the analysis of anionic polar pesticides have led to an increase in testing and regulation in surface and drinking water as well as food and beverages samples. However, developments in the analysis of cationic polar pesticides have lagged their anionic counterparts, primarily because of the analytical challenges. Advances using the Quick Polar Pesticides (QuPPe) method combined with IC-MS/MS have successfully demonstrated the applicability for the analysis of anionic polar pesticides, particularly glyphosate. However, for cationic polar pesticides, previous work has demonstrated an inability to resolve the Diquat / Paraquat peak pair. This combined with their similar m/z ratios makes it difficult to use IC-MS/MS methods for this application. Cationic polar pesticides such as chlormequat, diquat, mepiquat and paraquat may occur as residues in food, but may not be included in pesticide monitoring programs due to the difficulty in the determination of these target analytes using generic multi-residue methods. To address this analytical challenge, we have recently developed the Thermo Scientific™ Dionex™ IonPac™ CS21-Fast-4µm column to provide satisfactory separation of the four key quaternary polar pesticides: chlormequat, diquat, mepiquat and paraquat. This work demonstrates a new IC-MS/MS method to identify and quantify low concentrations of quaternary amine cationic polar pesticides in foods and beverages using a Thermo Scientific™ Dionex™ ICS-6000 Ion Chromatography System and IonPac CS21-Fast-4µm column coupled with a Thermo Scientific™ TSQ Altis™ triple quadrupole electrospray mass spectrometer. In this paper, we will discuss the IC-MS/MS method and demonstrate its applicability for determination of chlormequat, diquat, mepiquat and paraquat in the extracts of food and beverage samples prepared using the QuPPe sample preparation technique.

Artificial sweeteners are used as sugar substitutes in food and beverage products. The popularity of artificial sweeteners is increasing as more consumers are concerned about obesity and dental decay caused by consuming natural sugars. Artificial sweeteners are broadly classified into two categories: nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners. Recently, naturally occurring rare sugars have emerged as an alternative category of sweeteners. Allulose is one such low-calorie sweetener that occurs in small amounts in wheat and dried fruits, such as raisins and dried figs. Allulose’s chemical structure is similar to fructose, but it is not metabolized in the same way and contributes less calories. For labelling purposes, it is important to determine the amount of sweetener used in low-calorie foods and beverages. High-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAE-PAD) is a well-established technique for carbohydrate determinations. In this work, we developed and validated an HPAE-PAD method to determine sucrose and three sugar substitutes (erythritol, allulose, and sucralose) in low calorie/ zero sugar/ sugar-free foods and beverages. These sugar substitutes are often used in combination in food and beverages to create the same level of sweetness as natural sugars and minimize less desired flavors of the sugar substitutes. The separation of these sweeteners was achieved on a Thermo Scientific™ Dionex™ CarboPac PA20 column. This column facilitates determination of the sugar substitutes in sugar-free samples with minimum sample preparation and an overall injection to injection time of 25 min. In this work, we analyzed five commercial sugar-free products: two sugar-free protein bars, a keto cookie baking mix, a sugar-free vitamin water, and a zero-sugar sports drink for their erythritol, allulose, and sucralose contents. The method showed good precision and accuracy with a recovery range of 83-116% for the samples tested.

Modern laboratories performing applied analytical testing fulfill a wide range of tasks using different types of analytical instrumentation. In the inorganic laboratory, ion chromatography (IC) is used for the determination of common anions, analysis of disinfection byproducts or carbohydrate screening. At the same time, screening for heavy metals is accomplished using techniques such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Whereas IC is a powerful separation technique for ionic or polarizable species, ICP-MS is a powerful element selective detector. Both techniques can provide valuable information to estimate the level of contaminants in a sample, but at the same time, both techniques face limitations, that may yield only part of the story based on the analytical information that each deliver. For example, using ICP-MS, all information related to the chemical species in which an element is present is lost during the ionization process, and in many cases that makes it impossible to make judgments regarding toxic risk based solely on the concentration for a given analyte alone. With common detection systems used in conjunction with IC, such as conductivity detection, detection power may be a limiting factor, or a complex setup might be required in order to selectively convert an analyte into a photoactive compound for colorimetric detection. In these cases, it is beneficial to combine the best of both worlds – the separation power of IC and the detection sensitivity of ICP-MS, to obtain an even more powerful hyphenated system. The related activity “to identify and measure the quantities of one or more individual chemical species in a sample” is often referred to as speciation analysis. This presentation will highlight that it has never been easier to utilize hyphenated techniques in routine analysis, especially when analyzing food and beverages, where speciation can play a vital role to understand the risk associated with the presence of contaminants such as arsenic, iodine or mercury. Dedicated solutions for integrated hardware control and simple method development are key for solutions for routine application. However, modern technology to remove or eliminate spectral interferences is equally important and will also be highlighted.