Rapid Scotch Whisky Analysis and Authentication using Desorption Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionisation Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Whisky, as a high value product, is often adulterated, with adverse economic effects for both producers and consumers as well as potential public health impacts. Here we report the use of DAPCI-MS to analyse and chemically profile both genuine and counterfeit whisky samples employing a novel ‘direct from the bottle’ methodology with zero sample pre-treatment, zero solvent requirement and almost no sample usage. 25 samples have been analysed from a collection of blended Scotch whisky (n = 15) and known counterfeit whisky products (n = 10). Principal component analysis has been applied to dimensionally reduce the data and discriminate between sample groups. Additional chemometric modelling, a partial least squares regression, has correctly classified samples with 92% success rate. DAPCI-MS shows promise for simple, fast and accurate counterfeit detection with potential for generic aroma profiling and process quality monitoring applications.

Flexible Drift Tube for High Resolution Ion Mobility Spectrometry (Flex-DT-IMS)

“… 44 , 45 In this article we use a DAPCI source similar to the one described here. 46 Ten μL of 500 ng/mL of RDX, TNT, HMX, and PETN were each pipetted onto separate 2 cm × 5 cm Whatman grade 1 filter paper strips. The sample coverage at the end of the paper strip was approximately 1 cm 2 .…”

“…DAPCI is an ambient ionization technique that was developed by Cooks group at the same time as the more famous DESI source for direct analysis of solid phase material, typically for applications suited to mass spectrometry . It has formerly been employed for direct analysis of explosives, , crude oil, and biomedical applications. , In this article we use a DAPCI source similar to the one described here . Ten μL of 500 ng/mL of RDX, TNT, HMX, and PETN were each pipetted onto separate 2 cm × 5 cm Whatman grade 1 filter paper strips.…”

Spherical Sampler Probes Enhance the Robustness of Ambient Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Rapid Drugs Screening

“…The branch of ambient ionization methods has been proposed to analyze various biomolecules in complex matrices, such as saliva, blood, or even biopsy samples without elaborate pretreatment [ 3 , 7 , 10 ], including desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) [ 11 , 12 ], direct analysis in real time (DART) [ 13 ], low-temperature plasma (LTP) [ 14 ], desorption atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (DAPCI) [ 15 ], a variety of touch spray methods [ 16 , 17 ], and one of the most prominent ambient ionization mass spectrometry methods, paper spray (PS) [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Multiple studies have been devoted to investigating the capabilities of PS in performing targeted analysis of substances, such as illicit drugs, therapeutic drugs, metabolites, lipids, and proteins [ 18 , 19 , 21 ].…”

Rapid geographical indication of peppercorn seeds using corona discharge mass spectrometry

“…Mass spectrometry in combination with hyphenated techniques (e.g., chromatography) is the gold standard for chemical identification where legal enforcement is required 1 . Recently ambient ionization (AI) MS has been used to provide rapid assessment of authenticity in a variety of scenarios such as the adulteration of Whisky 2 , pesticide residue analysis on strawberry surfaces 3 , and the quantification of bisphenol A and its analogs contained within food packaging 4 , to mention only a few. AI approaches seek to reduce or entirely negate sample preparation, allowing analysis to be performed on samples in their native environment 5 .…”