CEC separation of heterocyclic amines using methacrylate monolithic columns.

Two methacrylate-based monolithic columns, one with a negatively charged group (sulfonic group) and another with a new monomer N,N-dimethylamino ethyl acrylate (DMAEA), were prepared and tested for the separation of basic compounds by CEC. This new monolithic stationary phase was prepared by the in situ polymerization of DMAEA with butyl methacrylate and ethylene dimethacrylate, using a ternary porogenic solvent consisting of water, 1-propanol and 1,4-butanediol. The performance of this column was evaluated by means of the analysis of a family of heterocyclic amines.

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of heterocyclic amines in food.

A new ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS) method was developed to perform the determination of 16 mutagenic heterocyclic amines (HAs) in complex food samples in less than 2 min. The UPLC separation was carried out using an Acquity BEH C18 column (50 mm x 2.1 mm i.

Determination of heterocyclic amines by liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

This paper discusses the applicability of coupling liquid chromatography (LC) to mass spectrometry (MS) using a time-of-flight (TOF) mass analyzer for the analysis of heterocyclic amines (HAs). Accurate mass measurement (<2 mDa) with both MS-MS and in-source CID MS-MS was carried out to confirm the elemental composition of some fragments previously reported. Some isobaric assignments (fragments containing N versus CH2 and NH3 versus CD2H) were distinguished by taking advantage of the resolution provided by the TOF mass analyzer.

State-of-the-art of the hyphenation of capillary electrochromatography with mass spectrometry.

The high separation efficiency and loading capacity of capillary electrochromatography (CEC) make it an attractive separation mode for coupling with mass spectrometry (MS), which has the ability to unambiguously identify analytes with high selectivity and sensitivity. We present an overview of recent advances on both instrumentation and separation columns employed in CEC-MS systems. In particular, the main characteristics of the stationary phases, as well as the configurations of the column outlet that are related with the coupling arrangements of the MS ionization sources, are reported.

Analysis of heterocyclic amines in food products: interlaboratory studies.

A feasibility study and two interlaboratory exercises on the determination of selected heterocyclic amines (HAs) in beef extract, organised in the framework of a European project, are presented. The aim of these exercises was to improve the quality of the laboratories and to evaluate the performance of a standardised analytical method and also the methods currently used by each of the participants for the analysis of these compounds. Three lyophilised portions of a commercial beef material previously spiked with HAs at different concentration levels ranging from 10 to 75 ng g(-1) were used as laboratory reference materials (lot A, B and C).