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Solid-phase microextraction Arrow combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for the elucidation of the volatile composition of honey samples

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Abstract

In this work, a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) Arrow method combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC × GC–MS) was developed for the elucidation of the volatile composition of honey samples. The sample preparation protocol was optimized to ensure high extraction efficiency of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are directly associated with the organoleptic properties of honey and its acceptance by the consumers. Following its optimization, SPME Arrow was compared to conventional SPME in terms of sensitivity, precision, and number of extracted VOCs. The utilization of SPME Arrow fibers enabled the determination of 203, 147, and 149 compounds in honeydew honey, flower honey, and pine honey, respectively, while a significantly lower number of compounds (124, 94, and 111 for honeydew honey, flower honey, and pine honey, respectively) was determined using conventional SPME. At the same time, the utilization of SPME Arrow resulted in enhanced sensitivity and precision. All things considered, SPME Arrow and GC × GC–MS can be considered as highly suitable for the elucidation of the volatile composition of complex food samples resulting in high sensitivity and separation efficiency.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the support of this work through the Restek Academic Support Program (RASP—Restek, Bellefonte, PA, USA) under agreement no. 201722830.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Natalia Manousi, Natasa Kalogiouri, George A. Zachariadis & Victoria F. Samanidou

  2. Institute of Chemical Technology and Analytics, Vienna University of Technology, Getreidemarkt 9/164, 1060, Vienna, Austria

    Natalia Manousi, Natasa Kalogiouri, Antonio Ferracane & Erwin Rosenberg

  3. Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Antonio Ferracane, Peter Q. Tranchida & Luigi Mondello

  4. Chromaleont S.R.L., c/o Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Luigi Mondello

  5. Department of Sciences and Technologies for Human and Environment, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Luigi Mondello

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Correspondence to Antonio Ferracane.

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Luigi Mondello is editor of Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry but was not involved in the peer review of this article. All the other authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

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Published in the topical collection Comprehensive 2D Chromatography with guest editors Peter Q. Tranchida and Luigi Mondello.

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Manousi, N., Kalogiouri, N., Ferracane, A. et al. Solid-phase microextraction Arrow combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for the elucidation of the volatile composition of honey samples. Anal Bioanal Chem 415, 2547–2560 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-023-04513-0

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