Zhiyuan Dai

Development of an on-line matrix solid-phase dispersion/fast liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry system for the rapid and simultaneous determination of 13 sulfonamides in grass carp tissues

A novel analytical protocol based on interfacing on-line matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was developed for extraction and determination of 13 sulfonamide residues in grass carp tissues. The target analytes were separated on a fused-core C18-silica column with a period of 7 min and quantified by a triple-quadrupole linear ion-trap mass spectrometer in positive ion multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The proposed method was optimized and validated according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The matrix-matched calibration curves were performed at six concentration levels and good linear relationship (R²=0.993-0.998) was observed within the range of 0.1-100 ng mL⁻¹. The mean values of relative standard deviation of intra- and inter-day ranging from 1.8% to 7.8% and from 2.8% to 10.3% were obtained, respectively. Moreover, satisfied recoveries (69.0-96.3%) of all studied sulfonamides were demonstrated in different spiked levels, with RSDs ≤ 13.2%. The proposed method has been applied successfully to the analysis of sulfonamides in several grass carp samples, and the results indicated that this novel instrumental coupling was fast, sensitive, reliable and environmental friendly with good prospects.

Graphene based pipette tip solid phase extraction of marine toxins in shellfish muscle followed by UPLC–MS/MS analysis

Graphene is a novel carbonic material with great potentials for the use as sorbent due to its ultrahigh surface area. Herein, we report the use of graphene as sorbent in solid-phase extraction (SPE) using pipette tip as cartridge namely GPT-SPE, together with ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), for the analysis of lipophilic marine toxins (LMTs), including yessotoxins (YTX), okadaic acid (OA), dinophysistoxin-1 (DTX1), gymnodimine (GYM), spirolides-1 (SPX1), pectenotoxin-2 (PTX2) and azaspiracid-1 (AZA1) in shellfish. The GPT-SPE procedure was optimized and the performance of graphene was fully validated. Results with high-sensitivity and good reproducibility was obtained and compared with that of other sorbents like C18 silica, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), commercial Oasis HLB, and Strata-X for the extraction of LMTs, which showed superiority and advantages of graphene, such as good recoveries, stability and compatibility with various solvents. In order to exhibit the potentials of graphene as an excellent sorbent material, 67 mussel samples from six coastal cities of China were analyzed. OA was found to be the dominant contaminant, while YTX was also detected with low level.

Analysis of trace levels of sulfonamides in fish tissue using micro-scale pipette tip-matrix solid-phase dispersion and fast liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

A micro-scale matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) technique, using hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) material as sorbent and a pipette tip (PT) as the cartridge, was developed for the extraction and purification of sulfonamides in fish tissue. Eluates from PT-MSPD were analyzed using fast liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The method was fully validated; good linearity was obtained with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99. Precision and accuracy (RSD%) were in the range 1.4-10.3% while mean recoveries were 70.6-95.5%. With this technique, 15 aquatic samples (Collichthys niveatus) were analyzed for sulfonamides. The whole procedure took only 13min (5min for PT-MSPD and 8min for LC), materials for each sample included 5.1mL solvents (0.3mL for PT-MSPD and 4.8mL for LC), and 20mg HLB sorbent. Generally speaking, this method is indeed practical and particularly suitable for widespread drug residue analysis.

Investigation of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Conditions on the Properties of Protein Hydrolysate from Fish Muscle (Collichthys niveatus) and Evaluation of Its Functional Properties

This study was carried out to investigate the enzymatic hydrolysis conditions on the properties of protein hydrolysate from fish muscle of the marine fish species Collichthys niveatus. About 160 fish samples were tested, and the analyzed fish species was found to be a lean fish with low fat (1.77 ± 0.01%) and high protein (16.76 ± 1.21%). Fish muscle of C. niveatus was carefully collected and hydrolyzed with four commercial enzymes: Alcalase, Neutrase, Protamex, and Flavourzyme under the conditions recommended by the manufacturers. Among the tested proteases, Neutrase catalyzed the hydrolysis process most effectively since the hydrolysate generated by Neutrase has the highest content of sweet and umami taste amino acids (SUA). The effect of hydrolysis conditions was further optimized using response surface methodology (RSM), and the optimum values for temperature, pH, and enzyme/substrate ratio (E/S ratio) were found to be 40.7 °C, 7.68, and 0.84%, respectively. Finally, the amino acid composition of the hydrolysate was analyzed by AccQ·Tag derivatization and HPLC-PDA determination. Major amino acids of the muscle of C. niveatus were threonine, glutamic acid, phenyalanine, tryptophan, and lysine, accounting for respectively 10.92%, 10.85%, 10.79%, 9.86%, and 9.76% of total amino acid content. The total content of essential amino acids was 970.7 ng·mL(-1), while that of nonessential amino acids was 709.1 ng·mL(-1). The results suggest that the fish muscle and its protein hydrolysate from C. niveatus provide a versatile supply of the benefits and can be incorporated as supplements in health-care foods.

Pipette tip solid-phase extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry based rapid analysis of picrosides from Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora.

Pipette tip solid-phase extraction (PT-SPE) is a technique popular in sample preparation of biological fluids and protein hydrolysates. In this study, we developed a microtechnic using a pipette tip packed with C18 as sorbent for extraction and purification of bioactive compounds, picroside-I, II and III, in crude herbal extracts from Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora (P. scrophulariiflora). Compared to conventional SPE, PT-SPE is fast, easy to operate, and the tools are very accessible (pipette tip and tube, without expensive SPE set-up). Moreover, it is also cost-effective because significant amount of sorbent and solvents can be saved. The eluate was analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Afterwards, the method was fully validated and the results demonstrated that the PT-SPE-UPLC-MS/MS method is an excellent technique for analysis of the herbal medicine. Finally, this PT-SPE-UPLC-MS/MS strategy was successfully applied to analyze the crude extracts from P. scrophulariiflora samples within 10min (2min for PT-SPE and 8min for UPLC), 3.5mL solvents (including water, 0.3mL for PT-SPE and 3.2mL for UPLC), and 2mg C18 sorbent for each sample. We believe this method to be very practical and, in particular, to be suitable for widespread herbal medicine analysis.

Zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction solid-phase extraction and multi-dimensional mass spectrometry for shotgun lipidomic study of Hypophthalmichthys nobilis.

Zwitterionic hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (ZIC-HILIC) material was used as solid-phase extraction sorbent for purification of phospholipids from Hypophthalmichthys nobilis. The conditions were optimized to be pH 6, flow rate 2.0mL·min(-1), loading breakthrough volume ⩽5mL, and eluting solvent 5mL. Afterwards, the extracts were analyzed by multi-dimensional mass spectrometry (MDMS) based shotgun lipidomics; 20 species of phosphatidylcholine (PC), 22 species of phosphatidylethanoamine (PE), 15 species of phosphatidylserine (PS), and 5 species of phosphatidylinositol (PI) were identified, with content 224.1, 124.1, 27.4, and 34.7μg·g(-1), respectively. The MDMS method was validated in terms of linearity (0.9963-0.9988), LOD (3.7ng·mL(-1)), LOQ (9.8ng·mL(-1)), intra-day precision (<3.64%), inter-day precision (<5.31%), and recovery (78.8-85.6%). ZIC-HILIC and MDMS shotgun lipidomics are efficient for studying phospholipids in H. nobilis.

Lipidomic profiling of dried seahorses by hydrophilic interaction chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry

Dried seahorse is a precious raw food material for cooking soups. In this study, a lipidomics strategy using the techniques of solid-phase extraction (SPE) and hydrophilic interaction chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-QTOF/MS) was developed for extraction, visualization, and quantification of phospholipids in dried seahorses. The parameters of SPE were optimized, and 1 mL of sample and chloroform/methanol (1:2, v/v) were found to be the best loading volume and eluting solvent, respectively. Afterwards, each phospholipid class was successfully separated on a HILIC column and analyzed by mass spectrometry. A total of 50 phospholipid molecular species were identified and determined, including 15 phosphatidylcholines (PCs), 14 phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs), 12 phosphatidylinositols (PIs) and 9 phosphatidylserines (PSs). In comparison to previously methods, this strategy was robust and efficient in extraction, characterization, and determination of phospholipids. The dried seahorse was found to contain large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acyl phospholipids which are beneficial to human health.

Precursor ion scan driven fast untargeted screening and semi-determination of caffeoylquinic acid derivatives in Cynara scolymus L.

A precursor ion scan (PIS) technique based strategy was developed for rapid screening and semi-determination of caffeoylquinic acid derivatives (CADs) in artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. 1,5-Dicaffeoylquinic acid and 5-caffeoylquinic acid were used for studying the fragmentation behaviour of two classes of CADs, setting m/z 191 as a diagnostic moiety. When it was applied to artichoke sample, ten CADs were detected and elucidated in a single PIS run. Furthermore, method validation was implemented including: specificity (no interference), linearity (≥0.9993), limit of detection (LOD<0.12 ng mL(-1)) and limit of quantification (LOQ<0.25 ng mL(-1)), precision (RSD≤3.6), recovery (91.4-95.9%) and stability (at least 12 h). This approach was proven to be a powerful, selective and sensitive tool for rapid screening and semi-determination of untargeted components in natural products.

Characterization of Flavor Properties from Fish (Collichthys niveatus) Through Enzymatic Hydrolysis and the Maillard Reaction

ABSTRACT Collichthys niveatus (C. niveatus) is an abundant but underutilized fish species caught in China. In this study, flavor properties of the Maillard reaction products (MRPs) obtained from C. niveatus protein hydrolysates were determined. The optimized fish protein hydrolysates were prepared using commercial Alcalase, and the optimum values of temperature, pH, and enzyme/substrate ratio were 55.6°C, 8.7, and 1.03%, respectively. In addition, the volatile compounds of the MRPs were evaluated using headspace solid–phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography mass spectrometry. A total of 80 volatile compounds were separated and identified. Priazines, alcohols, and aldehydes were the major flavor contributors to the aroma of the MRPs (accounting for 38.86, 9.21, and 8.23%, respectively), while pyrazines were the most abundant group of volatile compounds present, with 2,5-dimethyl-pyrazine, methylpyrazine, and 3-ethyl-2,5-dimethylpyrazine being found in highest quantities (19.83, 5.81, and 5.70%, respectively). Other components—including alcohols, aldehydes, furans, ketones, and esters—were also identified in the MRPs. This study provides a systematic strategy for marine products processing and volatiles characterization. The results point to the information in the volatiles from the MRPs of protein hydrolysis from C. niveatus and pave the way for full utilization of this species.

Rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry based lipidomics tracking of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) during in vitro multiple-stage digestion

A rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry (REIMS) method was developed for lipidomics tracking of Ctenopharyngodon idellus during in vitro multiple-stage digestion. The REIMS conditions were optimized such that the temperature of the heating probe was 500 °C, sample amount was 30 mg, and the flow rate of auxiliary solvent was 100 μL min-1. The results showed that the phospholipids were detected with variety and quantity in the crude and multiple-stage digested samples. The enzymatic effect on the phospholipids is varied depending on the phospholipid classes, and the hydrolysis rate of phospholipids increased as the degree of unsaturation of the acyl chain increased. The principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that the ions at m/ z 809.61, 811.63, and 857.52 were the most noticeable species digested during the process. This method exhibited great potential in fast lipidomics profiling for inspecting the characteristics of nutritional lipid absorption digestion in human gastrointestin.