Sweet cream liquid buttermilk and skimmed milk ingredients were heat processed and/or exposed to fluorescent light to determine changes in potential flavor compounds. Solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography/flame ionization detection was used to analyze the concentrations of the volatile compounds (2-butanone, 2-pentanone, acetaldehyde, diacetyl, hexanal, methyl sulfide) found in the two components. Pasteurized unoxidized skimmed milk had measurable levels of 2-butanone, acetaldehyde, and diacetyl. Pasteurization of skimmed milk increased concentration of 2-pentanone and methyl sulfide to measurable levels. However only 2-butanone and acetaldehyde were detectable in oxidized skimmed milk. All liquid buttermilk ingredient treatments had measurable concentrations of 2-butanone, 2-pentanone, and acetaldehyde. Pasteurization of unoxidized liquid buttermilk increased the concentration of diacetyl and hexanal to measurable levels whereas oxidized buttermilk, both pasteurized and unpasteurized, had measurable levels of hexanal and methyl sulfide. Nonfat (.3%) dairy beverages were formulated using the same components to determine if the volatiles in liquid buttermilk might enhance the flavor of nonfat milk. Triangle tests and hedonic tests were performed on the nonfat formulations to determine their overall difference and overall acceptance. There was no significant difference between formulations. / Master of Science

The growing need for fast sampling of explosives in high throughput areas has increased the demand for improved technology for the trace detection of illicit compounds. Detection of the volatiles associated with the presence of the illicit compounds offer a different approach for sensitive trace detection of these compounds without increasing the false positive alarm rate. This study evaluated the performance of non-contact sampling and detection systems using statistical analysis through the construction of Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves in real-world scenarios for the detection of volatiles in the headspace of smokeless powder, used as the model system for generalizing explosives detection. A novel sorbent coated disk coined planar solid phase microextraction (PSPME) was previously used for rapid, non-contact sampling of the headspace containers. The limits of detection for the PSPME coupled to IMS detection was determined to be 0.5-24 ng for vapor sampling of volatile chemical compounds associated with illicit compounds and demonstrated an extraction efficiency of three times greater than other commercially available substrates, retaining >50% of the analyte after 30 minutes sampling of an analyte spike in comparison to a non-detect for the unmodified filters. Both static and dynamic PSPME sampling was used coupled with two ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) detection systems in which 10-500 mg quantities of smokeless powders were detected within 5-10 minutes of static sampling and 1 minute of dynamic sampling time in 1-45 L closed systems, resulting in faster sampling and analysis times in comparison to conventional solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-MS) analysis. Similar real-world scenarios were sampled in low and high clutter environments with zero false positive rates. Excellent PSPME-IMS detection of the volatile analytes were visualized from the ROC curves, resulting with areas under the curves (AUC) of 0.85-1.0 and 0.81-1.0 for portable and bench-top IMS systems, respectively. Construction of ROC curves were also developed for SPME-GC-MS resulting with AUC of 0.95-1.0, comparable with PSPME-IMS detection. The PSPME-IMS technique provides less false positive results for non-contact vapor sampling, cutting the cost and providing an effective sampling and detection needed in high-throughput scenarios, resulting in similar performance in comparison to well-established techniques with the added advantage of fast detection in the field.

A new solid phase microextraction system composed of nanotubes coating fixed on a stainless steel support is suggested. Thermal stability and selectivity of the system was examined. It was determined that the system can be used for direct and headspace extraction of volatile aromatic hydrocarbons. Possibilities of four liquid phase microextraction techniques – hollow fibre liquid phase microextraction, liquid phase microextraction based on the solidification of a floating drop, dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and dispersion-solidification liquid-liquid microextraction – for the extraction of volatile aromatic hydrocarbons were investigated. Extraction conditions of the investigated methods were optimized and the main analytical characteristics were determined. For all the methods detection limits and repeatability of the results are close. An exception is dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with slightly higher detection limits. An extraction is especially fast using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and dispersion-solidification liquid-liquid microextraction. The most time-consuming method is liquid phase microextraction based on the solidification of a floating drop. All the methods are suitable for clean sample extraction. For the extraction from complex matrices the most suitable methods are headspace solid phase microextraction and hollow fibre liquid phase microextraction. The prepared microextraction techniques were applied for water and snow... [to full text] / Pasiūlyta nauja kietafazės mikroekstrakcijos sistema, kurioje nerūdijančio plieno strypelis dengtas anglies nanovamzdeliais, ištirtas jos terminis stabilumas ir atrankumas, nustatyta, kad sistema tinka lakių aromatinių angliavandenilių ekstrakcijai iš tirpalo ir iš viršerdvės. Ištirtos keturių skysčių-skysčių mikroekstrakcijos metodų - skysčių-skysčių mikroekstrakcijos kapiliare, mikroekstrakcijos užšaldomu tirpiklio lašu, dispersinės skysčių-skysčių mikroekstrakcijos ir dispersinės skysčių-skysčių mikroekstrakcijos užšaldant ekstraktą - galimybės ekstrahuoti lakius aromatinius angliavandenilius. Optimizuotos tirtų metodų ekstrakcijos sąlygos, nustatytos pagrindinės analizinės charakteristikos. Visų metodų rezultatų pasikartojamumas ir aptikimo ribos artimi. Išimtis – dispersinė skysčių-skysčių mikroekstrakcija, kuria gautos kiek didesnės aptikimo ribos. Greičiausi ekstrakcijos metodai - dispersinė skysčių-skysčių mikroekstrakcija ir dispersinė skysčių-skysčių mikroekstrakcija užšaldant ekstraktą, ilgiausiai trunka mikroekstrakcija užšaldomu tirpiklio lašu. Švarių mėginių ekstrakcijai tinka visi tirti metodai, užterštiems mėginiams geriau tinka kietafazė mikroekstrakcija iš viršerdvės arba skysčių-skysčių mikroekstrakcija kapiliare. Paruoštos lakių aromatinių angliavandenilių mikroekstrakcijos metodikos pritaikytos vandens ir sniego mėginių analizei.

A depressão, tida como a doença do final do século XX, acarreta diversos distúrbios físicos, mentais e emocionais. Amitriptilina,. imipramina, nortriptilina e desipramina são antidepressivos tricíclicos (ADT) largamente usados no tratamento de desordens depressivas. Os ADT são fármacos que apresentam alta variabilidade interindividual na farmacocinética e resposta clínica não facilmente ou não imediatamente mensurável. Assim faz-se necessário o desenvolvimento e validação de métodos analíticos capazes de determinar com a devida confiabilidade suas concentrações em amostras de plasma. Os métodos desenvolvidos possuem uma etapa de extração para posterior separação e quantificação. Os métodos de extração avaliados foram a extração líquido-líquido (LLE) e a microextração em fase sólida (SPME). As técnicas usadas para separação e quantificação foram cromatografia líquida (LC) e eletroforese capilar (CE). Dois métodos foram desenvolvidos e validados: LLE/LC e LLE/CE. Usando uma fibra com recobrimento PDMS 100 mm, um método SPME/LC (modo de dessorção off-line) foi desenvolvido e os parâmetros relativos a SPME foram otimizados fazendo uso de planejamento fatorial (23) e simplex. Usando as mesmas condições otimizadas para a fibra PDMS testou-se uma fibra PDMS/DVB 65 mm. Avaliou-se a CE para a determinação dos ADT em formulações farmacêuticas e o comportamento eletroforético destes compostos em diferentes meio (água, metanol e acetonitrila) foi avaliado. De acordo com os parâmetros avaliados (linearidade, precisão (intra e inter ensaios), recuperação, limites de quantificação (LOQ) e detecção) ambos os métodos (LLE/LC e LLE/CE) mostraram-se aplicáveis para a determinação dos ADT em níveis plasmáticos. O método SPME/LC (off-line) que fez uso da fibra com recobrimento PDMS/DVB apresentou LOQ suficientemente baixos para determinar os ADT em concentrações plasmáticas, apesar de consumir um tempo maior para execução, quando comparado aos métodos LLE/LE e LLE/CE. A validação e aplicação de um método fazendo uso de CE para a análise dos ADT em formulações farmacêuticas mostra a aplicabilidade desta técnica para análises de rotina. Determinou-se por CE o pKa* dos ADT em água, metanol e ACN. A ordem dos valores obtidos em meio aquoso e metanólico é inversa em relação a ordem obtida em ACN. Assim, pôde-se correlacionar a carga das espécies em cada condição de análise com a ordem de migração dos ADT em cada meio. / Depressive disorders imply in a variety of physical, mental and emotional disturbances. Amitriptyline, imipramine, nortriptyline e desipramine are tricyclic antidepressants (TAD) largely used in depression treatment. The TADs are drugs that show high inter individual variability in pharmacokinetics, low clinical response or even they are not straightforwardly measured. Therefore, it is necessary the development and validation of analytical methods for TAD determination in plasma samples. The developed methods have an extraction step for subsequently separation and quantification. The extraction methods appraised were liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) and solid phase microextraction (SPME). The analytical techniques used for separation and further quantification were liquid chromatography (LC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE). Two methods were developed and validated: LLE/LC and LLE/CE. Using a PDMS coating (100 mm), a SPME/LC method (with off-line dessorption) was developed and the experimental conditions relative to SPME were optimized using a factorial planning (23) and a simplex methodology. The same optimized conditions (for PDMS) were used for a PDMS/DVB (65 mm) coating. According to the appraised parameters such as linearity, precision (intra and inter assays), recovery and limits of quantification and detection, the methods LLE/LC and LLE/CE showed suitable for TAD determination in plasma samples regarding the therapeutic plasmatic concentration. The SPME/LC method (off-line desorption) with PDMS/DVB coating has also shown LOQ lower than the minimum therapeutic plasmatic concentration, implying that may be subject to validation. This method may be used for TAD analysis even though the total analysis time was greater those from LLE/LC and LLE/CE methods. CE was also applied for TAD determination in pharmaceutical formulations and the electrophoretic behavior such compounds in different separation media, especially non-aqueous solvents, was studied. The validation and application of a method using CE for TAD determination in pharmaceutical formulations has shown the applicability of this technique for routine analysis. The migration order in aqueous and methanolic media is opposite to obtained in acetonitrile, and the pKa* of the TAD were determined in different media (aqueous, methanol and acetonitrile) by CE. With the calculated values, it was possible to correlate the species total charge to the migration order in each medium.

As micotoxinas são compostos produzidos por fungos, sendo potencialmente perigosos à saúde humana e animal. A Ocratoxina A (OTA) é uma das micotoxinas mais amplamente estudadas, sendo encontrada em várias matrizes alimentícias. A concentração dessa micotoxina nos alimentos é geralmente muito baixa (da ordem de ng g-1), sendo, portanto, necessário o emprego de técnicas de preparo de amostras que realizem a purificação e pré-concentração no analito. Os métodos de separação e detecção empregados na análise de OTA também devem oferecer sensibilidade adequada para a quantificação do analito. Logo, os objetivos do trabalho foram desenvolver uma metodologia utilizando a técnica in-tube SPME no modo de extração única (flow through extraction) com partículas de C18 como fase extratora e separação e detecção por HPLC-MS/MS. Além disso, otimizar e validar a metodologia proposta e detectar e quantificar a OTA em amostras de vinho. Para isso, a técnica in-tube SPME foi configurada e um tubo de PEEK foi empacotado com partículas de C18, o qual foi utilizado na extração. A otimização do método foi realizada utilizando-se um planejamento experimental composto central 22 + 3 pontos centrais, tendo como fatores a porcentagem de ACN e o tempo durante o carregamento da amostra. A validação da metodologia empregada foi realizada conforme o guia de validação da ANVISA e, posteriormente, amostras de vinho tinto seco e vinho branco seco foram analisadas. O método proposto foi desenvolvido, tendo sua funcionalidade atestada e suas condições de análise melhoradas, sendo utilizado 22 % de ACN e 6 minutos no carregamento da amostra. O método foi validado, mostrando sensibilidade adequada, com limites de detecção e quantificação iguais à 0,02 e 0,05 µg L-1, respectivamente. A linearidade e precisão da metodologia foram avaliadas, apresentando coeficiente de correlação igual a 0,996 e DPR menor que 6%, respectivamente. O método mostrou-se exato nos níveis de concentração médio e alto e a recuperação máxima obtida para o nível alto foi próximo 73%. Amostras brasileiras e estrangeiras de vinho tinto seco e vinho tinto seco branco foram analisadas e a OTA não foi detectada em nenhuma delas. Entretanto, a OTA pode essa estar presente nas amostras analisadas em concentrações mais baixas que as determinadas pelos limites de detecção e quantificação, não sendo potencialmente perigosos à saúde. / Mycotoxins are compounds produced by fungus, being a potential danger to human and animal health. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin widely studied, being found in a varied of food matrices. OTA concentration in food is generally low (the order of ng g-1), being, therefore, necessary the use of sample preparation techniques to perform the analyte purification and preconcentration in the sample. The separation and detection methods used in OTA analysis also should offer proper sensibility in order to quantify the analyte adequately. In short, the goals of the present work were to develop a methodology using in-tube SPME in flow through extraction mode with C18 particles as extraction phase and separation and detection by HPLC-MS/MS. Further, optimize and validate the proposed methodology and detect and quantify OTA in wine samples. For this, in-tube SPME was configured and a PEEK tube was packed with C18 particles, which was used in the extraction step. The method optimization was achieved using a central composite 22 + 3 central points experimental design, having as factors the percentage of ACN and time during sample loading step. Validation method was done following ANVISA validation guide after which red dry wine and white dry wine samples were analyzed. The proposed method was developed, having its functionalities attested and its analysis conditions enhanced, using 22% of ACN and 6 minutes in sample loading. The method was validated, demonstrating proper sensitivity, with detection and quantification limits equal to 0.02 and 0.05 µg L-1, respectively. Linearity and precision were evaluated, exhibiting correlation coefficient equal to 0,996 e RSD under 6%, respectively. The method was accurate in medium and high concentration levels and maximum recovery was 73% in high concentration level. Brazilian and foreign red dry wine and white dry wine samples were analyzed and OTA was not detected in any of them. However, OTA may be present in samples analyzed in lower concentrations than that ones determined by detection and quantification limits, not being a potential danger to human health.

As micotoxinas são compostos produzidos por fungos, sendo potencialmente perigosos à saúde humana e animal. A Ocratoxina A (OTA) é uma das micotoxinas mais amplamente estudadas, sendo encontrada em várias matrizes alimentícias. A concentração dessa micotoxina nos alimentos é geralmente muito baixa (da ordem de ng g-1), sendo, portanto, necessário o emprego de técnicas de preparo de amostras que realizem a purificação e pré-concentração no analito. Os métodos de separação e detecção empregados na análise de OTA também devem oferecer sensibilidade adequada para a quantificação do analito. Logo, os objetivos do trabalho foram desenvolver uma metodologia utilizando a técnica in-tube SPME no modo de extração única (flow through extraction) com partículas de C18 como fase extratora e separação e detecção por HPLC-MS/MS. Além disso, otimizar e validar a metodologia proposta e detectar e quantificar a OTA em amostras de vinho. Para isso, a técnica in-tube SPME foi configurada e um tubo de PEEK foi empacotado com partículas de C18, o qual foi utilizado na extração. A otimização do método foi realizada utilizando-se um planejamento experimental composto central 22 + 3 pontos centrais, tendo como fatores a porcentagem de ACN e o tempo durante o carregamento da amostra. A validação da metodologia empregada foi realizada conforme o guia de validação da ANVISA e, posteriormente, amostras de vinho tinto seco e vinho branco seco foram analisadas. O método proposto foi desenvolvido, tendo sua funcionalidade atestada e suas condições de análise melhoradas, sendo utilizado 22 % de ACN e 6 minutos no carregamento da amostra. O método foi validado, mostrando sensibilidade adequada, com limites de detecção e quantificação iguais à 0,02 e 0,05 µg L-1, respectivamente. A linearidade e precisão da metodologia foram avaliadas, apresentando coeficiente de correlação igual a 0,996 e DPR menor que 6%, respectivamente. O método mostrou-se exato nos níveis de concentração médio e alto e a recuperação máxima obtida para o nível alto foi próximo 73%. Amostras brasileiras e estrangeiras de vinho tinto seco e vinho tinto seco branco foram analisadas e a OTA não foi detectada em nenhuma delas. Entretanto, a OTA pode essa estar presente nas amostras analisadas em concentrações mais baixas que as determinadas pelos limites de detecção e quantificação, não sendo potencialmente perigosos à saúde. / Mycotoxins are compounds produced by fungus, being a potential danger to human and animal health. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin widely studied, being found in a varied of food matrices. OTA concentration in food is generally low (the order of ng g-1), being, therefore, necessary the use of sample preparation techniques to perform the analyte purification and preconcentration in the sample. The separation and detection methods used in OTA analysis also should offer proper sensibility in order to quantify the analyte adequately. In short, the goals of the present work were to develop a methodology using in-tube SPME in flow through extraction mode with C18 particles as extraction phase and separation and detection by HPLC-MS/MS. Further, optimize and validate the proposed methodology and detect and quantify OTA in wine samples. For this, in-tube SPME was configured and a PEEK tube was packed with C18 particles, which was used in the extraction step. The method optimization was achieved using a central composite 22 + 3 central points experimental design, having as factors the percentage of ACN and time during sample loading step. Validation method was done following ANVISA validation guide after which red dry wine and white dry wine samples were analyzed. The proposed method was developed, having its functionalities attested and its analysis conditions enhanced, using 22% of ACN and 6 minutes in sample loading. The method was validated, demonstrating proper sensitivity, with detection and quantification limits equal to 0.02 and 0.05 µg L-1, respectively. Linearity and precision were evaluated, exhibiting correlation coefficient equal to 0,996 e RSD under 6%, respectively. The method was accurate in medium and high concentration levels and maximum recovery was 73% in high concentration level. Brazilian and foreign red dry wine and white dry wine samples were analyzed and OTA was not detected in any of them. However, OTA may be present in samples analyzed in lower concentrations than that ones determined by detection and quantification limits, not being a potential danger to human health.

There is a growing awareness of the risks of pollution in biological systems and one potential problem is the synthetic antioxidants, used for e.g. the stabilisation of polymeric materials. Natural antioxidants are an interesting alternative, if the high efficiency and thermal stability of the synthetic compounds can be reached. In the work described in this thesis, vitamin E (alfa-tocopherol) was studied as a natural antioxidant for the stabilisation of one of the major plastics, polyethylene (PE). The dependence of the surrounding environment for the efficiency of alfa-tocopherol in polyethylene (PE), throughout thermal aging, was characterised by sensitive techniques. Two techniques which have shown a high sensitivity in oxidation detection of polymers; chemiluminescence (CL) and gas chromatographic analysis, were compared with the commonly used methods, infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermal analysis. Three different additive systems were selected as active domains for -tocopherol in PE. Two of these contained carboxylic acid groups, poly (ethylene-co-acrylic acid) (EAA) and polyTRIM/PAA core-shell particles (Core), and the third, oat starch, had no such groups. The additives containing carboxylic groups improved the long-term efficiency of alfa-tocopherol in PE, according to carbonyl index measurements made by FT-IR, while the additive without carboxylic acid groups gave no improvement. The amount of carboxylic acids emitted from the materials after thermal aging, assessed by head-space solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), also showed that EAA increased the antioxidant efficiency of alfa-tocopherol, whereas the Core system showed lower antioxidant efficiency. Reference systems containing the synthetic antioxidant Irganox 1076 and EAA or oat starch had the same performance as the materials stabilised with only the antioxidants. CL measurements in an inert atmosphere (TLI) have earlier been shown to give earlier oxidation detection than carbonyl index measurements in unstabilised PE. In this work, the TLI analysis and the carbonyl index measurements had the same sensitivity in the detection of oxidation in the stabilised materials. Assessment of low-molecular weight carboxylic acids in PE during the aging was made by gas chromatographic analysis together with solid-phase extraction. Propanoic acid showed the best correlation with the carbonyl index measurements, even if the carbonyl index showed earlier detection of oxidation. It was also found that TLI and CL in an oxidative atmosphere (CL-OIT) had the same sensitivity and were in accordance for all of the materials, with exception of the materials containing EAA and alfa-tocopherol or Irganox 1076. CL-OIT was also compared to the oxygen induction time determined by thermal analysis. / QC 20100921

Solid phase microextraction (SPME), needle trap device (NTD), and membrane extraction with a sorbent interface (MESI) are solvent-free sample preparation techniques that were developed to perform the rapid routine analysis of organic compounds (VOCs) in various environmental matrices by integrating sampling, extraction, preconcentration and sample introduction procedures into one step. A portable ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) analyzer has some advantages, such as small size, light weight, operability under ambient pressure, air as carrier gas, and sensitivity, all of which make IMS suitable for on-site monitoring for low concentration of analytes. The aforementioned sampling and preconcentration techniques were coupled with a portable IMS analyzer, as well as a thermal desorption unit that can accommodate SPME, NTD and MESI, which was modified and combined with IMS for on-site monitoring of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from human breath and plant emissions. Experimental results demonstrated that low detection limits were achievable for gaseous analytes, (25 ng/L for acetone (SPME-IMS), 43 ng/mL (NTD-IMS) and 2.3 ng/mL (MESI-IMS) for α-pinene). These three analytical systems were applied for on-site rapid determination of acetone in human breath and α-pinene from plant emissions respectively. The salient features of these systems that make them suitable for on-site monitoring of volatile organic compounds in different sources are: small size, simple operation, fast and/or on-line sampling, rapid analysis.

The main objective of the emerging field of metabolomics is the analysis of all small molecule metabolites present in a particular living system in order to provide better understanding of dynamic processes occurring in living systems. This type of studies is of interest in various fields including systems biology, medicine and drug discovery. The main requirements for sample preparation methods used in global metabolomic studies are lack of selectivity, incorporation of a metabolism quenching step and good reproducibility. The efficiency of metabolism quenching and stability of analytes in selected biofluid or tissue dictate how accurately the analytical results represent true metabolome composition at the time of sampling. However, complete quenching of metabolism is not easily accomplished, so sample preparation can significantly affect metabolome's composition and the quality of acquired metabolomics data. In this research, the feasibility of the use of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in direct extraction mode for global metabolomic studies of biological fluids based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was investigated for the first time. Initial research presented in this thesis focused on resolving several outstanding issues regarding the use of SPME for the analysis of biological fluids. SPME was not simultaneously capable to provide high-sample throughput and high degree of automation when coupled to LC-MS. This was successfully addressed through the development and evaluation of a new robotic station based on a 96-well plate format and an array of 96 SPME fibres. The parallel format of extraction and desorption allowed increased sample throughput of >1000 samples/day which represents the highest throughput of any SPME technique to date. This exceeds sample throughput requirements for a typical metabolomics study whereby ~100 samples/day are processed. SPME can also be used for direct in vivo sampling of flowing blood of an animal without the need to isolate a defined sample volume. This format of SPME is particularly attractive for metabolomic studies as it decreases the overall number of steps and also eliminates the need for metabolism quenching step because only small molecular weight species are extracted by the device, whereas large biological macromolecules such as proteins are not extracted by the coating. In current work, in vivo SPME sampling was successfully applied for sampling of mice for the first time. The proposed sampling procedure was fully validated against traditional terminal and serial sampling approaches for a pharmacokinetic study of carbamazepine and its metabolite. Excellent agreement of pharmacokinetic parameters such as systemic clearance, steady-state volume of distribution and terminal half-life was found for all three methods, with no statistically significant differences (p>0.05). The performance of new prototype commercial SPME devices based on hypodermic needle was also evaluated within the context of the study. The availability of such single-use devices with excellent inter-fibre reproducibility (<10% RSD) presents an important step forward in order to gain wider acceptance of in vivo SPME sampling. Finally, existing SPME coatings were not suitable for the simultaneous direct extraction of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic species, which is one of the requirements for a successful global metabolomics study. To address this issue, a systematic study of 40 types of commercially available sorbents was carried out using a metabolite standard test mixture spanning a wide molecular weight (80-777 Da) and polarity range (log P range of -5 to 7.4). The best performance for balanced extraction of species of varying polarity was achieved by (i) mixed-mode coating containing octadecyl or octyl group and benzenesulfonic acid ion exchange group, (ii) polar-enhanced polystyrene-divinylbenzene polymeric coatings and (iii) phenylboronic acid coatings. The second aspect of the research focused on the evaluation of SPME for a global metabolomics study of human plasma using two complementary LC-MS methods developed on benchtop Orbitrap MS system: reverse-phase method using pentafluorophenyl LC stationary phase and HILIC method using underivatized silica stationary phase. The parameters influencing overall method sensitivity such as voltages, mass ranges and ion inject times into C-trap were optimized to ensure best instrument performance for global metabolomic studies. Orbitrap system provided a powerful platform for metabolomics because of its high resolution and mass accuracy, thus helping to distinguish between metabolites with same nominal mass. The acquisition speed of the instrument at the highest resolution setting was insufficient for use with ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC), so all methods were developed using conventional LC. However, overall metabolite coverage achieved in current study compared well or even exceeded metabolite coverage reported in literature on different LC-MS or UHPLC-MS platforms including time-of-flight, quadrupole time-of-flight and hybrid Orbitrap instruments. The performance of SPME was fully compared versus traditional methods for global metabolomics (plasma protein precipitation and ultrafiltration). The main findings of this systematic study show that SPME provides improved coverage of hydrophobic metabolites versus ultrafiltration and reduces ionization suppression effects observed with both plasma protein precipitation and ultrafiltration methods. Using SPME, <5% and <20% of peaks showed significant matrix effects in reverse phase and HILIC methods, respectively and the observed effects were mostly correlated to elution within retention time window of anticoagulant for the majority of metabolites showing this effect. This improves overall quality of collected metabolomics data and can also improve metabolite coverage. For example, the highest number of metabolite features (3320 features) was observed using SPME in combination with negative ESI reverse-phase LC method, while in positive ESI mode plasma protein precipitation with methanol/ethanol mixture provided the most comprehensive metabolite coverage (3245 features versus 1821 features observed for SPME). Method precision of SPME method was excellent as evaluated using median RSD (11-18% RSD) of all metabolites detected. A proof-of-concept in vivo SPME study was also performed on mice to study the effects of carbamazepine administration and shows that SPME can be used as successful sample preparation method for global metabolomic studies in combination with unsupervised statistical data analysis techniques. This study highlights important advantages of in vivo sampling approaches including the ability to capture short-lived and/or unstable metabolites, to achieve truer representation of the metabolome at the time of sampling than achievable by blood withdrawal methods and the ability to use smaller animal cohorts while obtaining highly-relevant data sets. The experimental results provide new and useful insight into the effects of different sample preparation methods on the collected metabolomics data, and establish both in vitro and in vivo SPME as a new tool for global LC-MS metabolomics analysis for the first time.

Solid phase microextraction (SPME), needle trap device (NTD), and membrane extraction with a sorbent interface (MESI) are solvent-free sample preparation techniques that were developed to perform the rapid routine analysis of organic compounds (VOCs) in various environmental matrices by integrating sampling, extraction, preconcentration and sample introduction procedures into one step. A portable ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) analyzer has some advantages, such as small size, light weight, operability under ambient pressure, air as carrier gas, and sensitivity, all of which make IMS suitable for on-site monitoring for low concentration of analytes. The aforementioned sampling and preconcentration techniques were coupled with a portable IMS analyzer, as well as a thermal desorption unit that can accommodate SPME, NTD and MESI, which was modified and combined with IMS for on-site monitoring of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from human breath and plant emissions. Experimental results demonstrated that low detection limits were achievable for gaseous analytes, (25 ng/L for acetone (SPME-IMS), 43 ng/mL (NTD-IMS) and 2.3 ng/mL (MESI-IMS) for α-pinene). These three analytical systems were applied for on-site rapid determination of acetone in human breath and α-pinene from plant emissions respectively. The salient features of these systems that make them suitable for on-site monitoring of volatile organic compounds in different sources are: small size, simple operation, fast and/or on-line sampling, rapid analysis.