A new method of electrospray-assisted laser desorption/ionization (ELDI) mass spectrometry, which combines laser desorption with post-ionization by electrospray, was applied to rapid analysis of solid materials under ambient conditions. Analytes were desorbed from solid metallic and insulating substrata using a pulsed nitrogen laser. Post-ionization produced high-quality mass spectra characteristic of electrospray, including protein multiple charging. For the first time, mass spectra of intact proteins were obtained using laser desorption without adding a matrix. Bovine cytochrome c and an illicit drug containing methaqualone were chosen in this study to demonstrate the applicability of ELDI to the analysis of proteins and synthetic organic compounds.

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Mass spectrometric ionization methods that operate under ambient conditions and require minimal or no sample pretreatment have attracted much attention in such fields as biomedicine, food safety, antiterrorism, pharmaceuticals, and environmental pollution. These technologies usually involve separate ionization and sample-introduction events, allowing independent control over each set of conditions. Ionization is typically performed under ambient conditions through use of existing electrospray ionization (ESI) or atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) techniques. Rapid analyses of gas, liquid, and solid samples are possible with the adoption of various sample-introduction methods. This review sorts different ambient ionization techniques into two main subcategories, primarily on the basis of the ionization processes, that are further differentiated in terms of the approach used for sampling.

We report here using a novel technology-electrospray-assisted laser desorption ionization (ELDI)/mass spectrometry-for the rapid and sensitive detection of the major proteins that exist in dried biological fluids (e.g., blood, tears, saliva, serum), bacterial cultures, and tissues (e.g., porcine liver and heart) under ambient conditions. This technique required essentially no sample pretreatment. The proteins in the samples were desorbed using a pulsed nitrogen laser without the assistance of an organic matrix. The desorbed protein molecules were then post-ionized through their fusion into the charged solvent droplets produced from the electrospray of an acidic methanol solution; electrospray ionization (ESI) proceeded from the newly formed droplets to generate the ESI-like protein ions. This new ionization approach combines some of the features of electrospray ionization with those of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI), that is, sampling of a solid surface with spatial resolution, generating ESI-like mass spectra of the desorbed proteins, and operating under ambient conditions.

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A novel fused-droplet electrospray ionization (FD-ESI) source was developed to generate peptide and protein ions. The sample solution was first ultrasonically nebulized to form fine aerosols. The aerosols were then purged into a glass reaction chamber via nitrogen. Charged methanol droplets were continuously generated through electrospraying the acidic methanol solution from a capillary, which was located at the center of the reaction chamber. As the sample aerosols entered the reaction chamber, they fused with the charged methanol droplets from which electrospray proceeded continuously. The mass spectra of peptide and protein that FD-ESI-MS produced were practically identical to those that conventional ESI-MS produced. However, FD-ESI-MS resulted in an extremely high salt tolerance. Cytochrome c ions were detected in the solutions that contained 10% (w/w; 1.709 M) NaCl or 2.5% (425 mM) NaH2PO4. As with those obtained from the solution that lacked NaCl and NaH2PO4, the width of cytochrome c ion peaks remained nearly unchanged.

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In the summer of 2008, serious illnesses and deaths of babies in China were linked to melamine-tainted powdered infant formula. Melamine contains several metabolites, such as ammeline, ammelide, and cyanuric acid, and has been used for the adulteration of foods or milk to increase their apparent protein content. It is assumed that melamine and its metabolites are absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, and precipitate in the kidney to form crystals. A new tolerable daily intake of 0.2 mg kg(-1) body weight was adapted by the World Health Organization in 2008. This paper reviews the variety of analytical methods that have been used for the analysis of melamine in food. The limit of detection of these various methods is 0.05-100 ppm. The maximum acceptable concentration in food has been set at 50 ppb by the US FDA. A fast and ultrasensitive procedure for screening, detection, and characterization of melamine and its derivative compounds needs to be established. Currently, mass-spectrometry technologies provide an alternative to derivatization for regulatory analysis of food.