Claude Guillou

1H NMR as a tool for the analysis of mixtures of virgin olive oil with oils of different botanical origin

1H NMR spectroscopy provides a possible alternative to conventional chromatographic methods for determining the composition of oils. In this study, various oils from olive, hazelnut and sunflower were analysed by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Experimental conditions were chosen in order to have a short experimental time. It was demonstrated that multivariate statistical methods, in particular discriminant analysis, applied to selected predominant peaks in the 1H NMR spectra of oils resulted in a good separation between these three oils of different botanical origin and permitted the detection of their mixtures. Copyright

Virgin Olive Oil Authentication by Multivariate Analyses of 1H NMR Fingerprints and δ13C and δ2H Data

(1)H NMR fingerprints of virgin olive oils (VOOs) from the Mediterranean basin (three harvests) were analyzed by principal component analysis, linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) to determine their geographical origin at the national, regional, or PDO level. Further delta(13)C and delta(2)H measurements were performed by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). LDA and PLS-DA achieved consistent results for the characterization of PDO Riviera Ligure VOOs. PLS-DA afforded the best model: for the Liguria class, 92% of the oils were correctly classified in the modeling step, and 88% of the oils were properly predicted in the external validation; for the non-Liguria class, 90 and 86% of hits were obtained, respectively. A stable and robust PLS-DA model was obtained to authenticate VOOs from Sicily: the recognition abilities were 98% for Sicilian oils and 89% for non-Sicilian ones, and the prediction abilities were 93 and 86%, respectively. More than 85% of the oils of both categories were properly predicted in the external validation. Greek and non-Greek VOOs were properly classified by PLS-DA: >90% of the samples were correctly predicted in the cross-validation and external validation. Stable isotopes provided complementary geographical information to the (1)H NMR fingerprints of the VOOs.

Liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet absorbance detection, electrospray ionization, collision- induced dissociation and tandem mass spectrometry on a triple quadrupole for the on-line characterization of polyphenols and methylxanthines in green coffee beans

Liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector, electrospray ionization, collision-induced dissociation and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-DAD/ESI-CID-MS/MS) on a triple quadrupole (QqQ) has been used to detect and characterize polyphenols and methylxanthines in green coffee beans: three phenolic acids (caffeic acid, ferulic acid and dimethoxycinnamic acid), three isomeric caffeoylquinic acids (M(r) 354), three feruloylquinic acids (M(r) 368), one p-coumaroylquinic acid (M(r) 338), three dicaffeoylquinic acids (M(r) 516), three feruloyl-caffeoylquinic acids (M(r) 530), four p-coumaroyl-caffeoylquinic acids (M(r) 500), three diferuloylquinic acids (M(r) 544), six dimethoxycinnamoyl-caffeoylquinic acids (M(r) 544), three dimethoxycinnamoyl-feruloylquinic acids (M(r) 558), six cinnamoyl-amino acid conjugates, three cinnamoyl glycosides, and three methylxanthines (caffeine, theobromine and theophylline). Dimethoxycinnamic acid, three isomers of dimethoxycinnamoyl-caffeoylquinic acids and another three of dimethoxycinnamoyl-feruloylquinic acids, as well as the three cinnamoyl glycosides, had not previously been reported in coffee beans. Structures have been assigned on the basis of the complementary information obtained from UV-visible spectra, relative hydrophobicity, scan mode MS spectra, and fragmentation patterns in MS(2) spectra (both in the positive and negative ion modes) obtained using a QqQ at different collision energies. A structure diagnosis scheme is provided for the identification of different isomers of polyphenols and methylxanthines.

Metabolomics applied to urine samples in childhood asthma; differentiation between asthma phenotypes and identification of relevant metabolites.

Asthma is a heterogeneous disorder and one of the most common chronic childhood diseases. An improved characterization of asthma phenotypes would be invaluable for the understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms and the correct treatment of this disease. The aim of this pilot study was to explore the potential of metabolomics applied to urine samples in characterizing asthma, and to identify the most representative metabolites. Urine samples of 41 atopic asthmatic children (further subdivided in sub-groups according to the symptoms) and 12 age-matched controls were analyzed. Untargeted metabolic profiles were collected by LC-MS, and studied by multivariate analysis. The group of the asthmatics was differentiated by a model that proved to be uncorrelated with the chronic assumption of controller drugs on the part of the patients. The distinct sub-groups were also appropriately modeled. Further investigations revealed a reduced excretion of urocanic acid, methyl-imidazoleacetic acid and a metabolite resembling the structure of an Ile-Pro fragment in the asthmatics. The meaning of these findings was discussed and mainly correlated with the modulation of immunity in asthma. Metabolic profiles from urines have revealed the potential to characterize asthma and enabled the identification of metabolites that may have a role in the underlying inflammation.

1H NMR-based protocol for the detection of adulterations of refined olive oil with refined hazelnut oil.

A (1)H NMR analytical protocol for the detection of refined hazelnut oils in admixtures with refined olive oils is reported according to ISO format. The main purpose of this research activity is to suggest a novel analytical methodology easily usable by operators with a basic knowledge of NMR spectroscopy. The protocol, developed on 92 oil samples of different origins within the European MEDEO project, is based on (1)H NMR measurements combined with a suitable statistical analysis. It was developed using a 600 MHz instrument and was tested by two independent laboratories on 600 MHz spectrometers, allowing detection down to 10% adulteration of olive oils with refined hazelnut oils. Finally, the potential and limitations of the protocol applied on spectrometers operating at different magnetic fields, that is, at the proton frequencies of 500 and 400 MHz, were investigated.

Oxygen‐18 measurement by continuous flow pyrolysis/isotope ratio mass spectrometry of vegetable oils

Stable isotopes are now increasingly used for the control of the origin or authenticity of food products. Among these techniques, the measurement of the 18O content of organic compounds has rarely been carried out because of technical difficulties in the preparation and measurement of the samples. Recently a few laboratories have worked on the setting up of on-line methods to allow easier access to the information that can be obtained from 18O/16O ratios. In this work, such a technique was developed by modifying an elemental analyser device for carrying out the pyrolysis of organic matter. This device is coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer for 18O determination in the CO resulting from the pyrolysis of the compound to be analysed, with good results. The relationship between the 18O content of various oils and their geographical origins is discussed.

Authentication of farmed and wild turbot (Psetta maxima) by fatty acid and isotopic analyses combined with chemometrics.

Fatty acid composition and stable isotope ratios of carbon (delta(13)C) and nitrogen (delta(15)N) were determined in muscle tissue of turbot (Psetta maxima). The multivariate analysis of the data was performed to evaluate their utility in discriminating wild and farmed fish. Wild (n=30) and farmed (n=30) turbot of different geographical origins (Denmark, The Netherlands, and Spain) were sampled from March 2006 to February 2007. The application of linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) to analytical data demonstrated the combination of fatty acids and isotopic measurements to be a promising method to discriminate between wild and farmed fish and between wild fish of different geographical origin. In particular, IRMS (Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry) alone did not permit us to separate completely farmed from wild samples, resulting in some overlaps between Danish wild and Spanish farmed turbot. On the other hand, fatty acids alone differentiated between farmed and wild samples by 18:2n-6 but were not able to distinguish between the two groups of wild turbot. When applying LDA isotope ratios, 18:2n-6, 18:3n-3, and 20:4n-6 fatty acids were decisive to distinguish farmed from wild turbot of different geographical origin, while delta(15)N, 18:2n-6, and 20:1n-11 were chosen to classify wild samples from different fishing zones. In both cases, 18:2n-6 and delta(15)N were determinant for classification purposes. We would like to emphasize that IRMS produces rapid results and could be the most promising technique to distinguish wild fish of different origin. Similarly, fatty acid composition could be used to easily distinguish farmed from wild samples.

Determination of origin of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): the use of multiprobe and multielement isotopic analyses in combination with fatty acid composition to assess wild or farmed origin.

Variability within the stable isotope ratios in various lipidic fractions and the fatty acid composition of muscle oil has been analyzed for a large sample (171 fish) of wild and farmed Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar) from 32 origins within Europe, North America, and Tasmania. Sampling was extended over all seasons in 2 consecutive years and included fish raised by different practices, in order to maximize the range of variation present. It is shown that two readily measured parameters, delta 15N measured on choline and delta18 O measured on total oil, can be successfully used to discriminate between fish of authentic wild and farmed origin. However, the certainty of identification of mislabeling in market-derived fish is strengthened by including the percentage of linoleic acid C18:2n-6 in the lipidic fraction. Thus, several apparent misidentifications were found. The combination of these three analytical parameters and the size of the database generated makes the method practical for implementation in official laboratories as a tool of labeling verification.

A coupled NMR and MS isotopic method for the authentication of natural vinegars

SummaryThe natural site-specific deuterium content and the overall 13C content of acetic acids, extracted from vinegars or obtained by chemical synthesis, were determined by NMR and mass spectrometries. The isotope ratios (D/H)CH3 and the ∂13C deviation of these samples were compared to those of a series of ethanols of the same natural or synthetic origins. The different groups of natural and fossil acetic acids are represented in the 2H/13C isotopic plane and the discriminant function, which enables unknown samples to be assigned to a given group, is computed. A careful analysis of the repeatability of the entire analytical procedure and a study of known mixtures of natural and synthetic acids show that as low as 5% synthetic acid in a natural vinegar can be detected in a comparative analysis. A sensitivity level of 15% may be expected on an absolute basis when no information on the origin of the precursors is available, providing that a determination of the botanical family of the natural component can be carried out beforehand.

The intramolecular 13C‐distribution in ethanol reveals the influence of the CO2‐fixation pathway and environmental conditions on the site‐specific 13C variation in glucose

Efforts to understand the cause of ¹²C versus ¹³C isotope fractionation in plants during photosynthesis and post-photosynthetic metabolism are frustrated by the lack of data on the intramolecular ¹³C-distribution in metabolites and its variation with environmental conditions. We have exploited isotopic carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C NMR) spectrometry to measure the positional isotope composition (δ¹³C(i) , ‰) in ethanol samples from different origins: European wines, liquors and sugars from C₃, C₄ and crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants. In C₃-ethanol samples, the methylene group was always ¹³C-enriched (∼2‰) relative to the methyl group. In wines, this pattern was correlated with both air temperature and δ(18)O of wine water, indicating that water vapour deficit may be a critical defining factor. Furthermore, in C₄-ethanol, the reverse relationship was observed (methylene-C relatively ¹³C-depleted), supporting the concept that photorespiration is the key metabolic process leading to the ¹³C distribution in C₃-ethanol. By contrast, in CAM-ethanol, the isotopic pattern was similar to but stronger than C₃-ethanol, with a relative ¹³C-enrichment in the methylene-C of up to 13‰. Plausible causes of this ¹³C-pattern are briefly discussed. As the intramolecular δ¹³C(i) -values in ethanol reflect that in source glucose, our data point out the crucial impact on the ratio of metabolic pathways sustaining glucose synthesis.