Rapid Detection of Potential Natural Food Preservatives and Identification of Species via High-Sensitivity Photoionization Mass Spectrometry.

Natural food preservatives are being sought extensively as a safe alternative to chemical food preservatives. This study aimed to identify potential natural preservatives from herbs using single-photon ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SPI-TOF-MS). Five species and four other herbs were analyzed, and the random forest (RF) algorithm was used to simulate olfaction and distinguish the species by identifying the characteristic peaks of volatile terpenoids (VTPs). Results showed that the terpenoid synthase (TPS) gene family was expanded in species, potentially contributing to the increased production of VTPs, which have potential as natural preservatives and specifically identify these species. The limits of detections (LODs) for principle VTPs in species were as low as 22-39 parts-per-trillion-by-volume (pptv) using SPI-TOF-MS. This study highlights the potential for headspace mass spectrometry to be used in the development of natural preservatives and the identification of plant species.