Isolation techniques headspace sampling

Isolation of the products from complex matrixes (e.g. polymer and water, air, or soil) is often a demanding task. In the process of stability testing (10 days at 40 °C, 1 h at reflux temperature) of selected plastic additives (DEHA, DEHP and Irganox 1076) in EU aqueous simulants, the additive samples after exposure were simply extracted from the aqueous simulants with hexane [63]. A sonication step was necessary to ensure maximum extraction of control samples. Albertsson et al. developed several sample preparation techniques using headspace-GC-MS [64], LLE [65] and SPE [66-68]. A practical guide to LLE is available [3]. 

Various sample enrichment techniques are used to isolate volatile organic compounds from mammalian secretions and excretions. The dynamic headspace stripping of volatiles from collected material with purified inert gas and trapping of the volatile compounds on a porous polymer as described by Novotny [3], have been adapted by other workers to concentrate volatiles from various mammalian secretions [4-6]. It is risky to use activated charcoal as an adsorbent in the traps that are used in these methods because of the selective adsorption of compounds with different polarities and molecular sizes on different types of activated charcoal. Due to the high catalytic activity of activated charcoal, thermal conversion can occur if thermal desorption is used to recover the trapped material from such a trap. 

The analyses of the flavour composition of yellow passion fruits were performed by four dilferent isolation techniques, namely vacuum headspace sampling (VHS), the dynamic headspace method, simultaneous distillation and extraction at atmospheric pressure, and simultaneous distillation and extraction under reduced pressure [62]. Significant differences were found not only in the chemical composition of the resultant extracts but also in their sensory properties. The most representative and typical extract was obtained by VHS. 

Headspace Sampling Technique. The method used a new gas chromatographic desorption - concentration - GC introduction device (D.C.I.) based on dynamic headspace analysis and available from Delsi Instruments (Paris, France). This apparatus made it possible to isolate volatiles from both solid and liquid samples (4). 

The headspace sampling technique developed in the present study to collect volatiles from cold stored Black Truffles performed adequately. Indeed, the aroma Isolate obtained was described as typical, and 11 minor compounds could be described for the first time as Black Truffle aroma constituents. Moreover, these results allowed the formulation of the first Nature-Identical Black Truffle aromatizer. 

Headspace techniques are often the method of choice since there is virtually no sample preparation involved. One simply places the food sample in a closed vessel, allows the headspace to equilibrate and then samples the headspace with a gas-tight syringe or an automated sampling system. Problems with sample carry over in the syringe and reproducibility favor automated systems for headspace sampling. The primary limitation of headspace sampling is a lack of sensitivity. One may not isolate sufficient quantities of indicator compoxmds to permit accurate and precise quantification. However, the simplicity, reproducibility and speed of this method make it exceptionally desirable for quality control purposes. 

Sion and by headspace methods adds another dimension to the isolation technique. Immersion sampling may provide more sensitivity overall, but headspace extraction might separate the more volatile materials for increased selectivity. The remaining examples will illustrate these concepts more clearly. 

More recently, solid phase microextraction (SPME) [22] has been applied to the analysis of bug pheromones, using two techniques. In the first, headspace volatiles are trapped on the SPME fiber, analogous to trapping on SuperQ [e.g., 23]. Alternatively, if the source of the pheromone is known, the SPME fiber can be wiped on the cuticle to directly adsorb the compounds [24]. In either case, the fiber is then thermally desorbed directly into a GC or GC-MS. Whereas this method is excellent for analysis, with good recoveries, it does not provide a sample that can be used for bioassays or for isolation of an active compound. 

Aroma compounds are present in minute levels in foods, often at the ppb level ( ig/liter). In order to analyze compounds at these levels, isolation and concentration techniques are needed. However, isolation of aroma compounds from a food matrix, which contains proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, is not always simple. For foods without fat, solvent extraction (unit gu) can be used. In foods containing fat, simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE see Basic Protocol 1) provides an excellent option. Concentration of headspace gases onto volatile traps allows sampling of the headspace in order to obtain sufficient material for identification of more volatile compounds. A separate protocol (see Basic Protocol 2) shows how volatile traps can be used and then desorbed thermally directly onto a GC column. For both protocols, the subsequent separation by GC and identification by appropriate detectors is described in unitgu. 

For aroma extracts, the blank sample is a mixture of the solvents used in the extraction, and are concentrated in the same way as the aroma isolate. Some volatiles in aroma extracts may derive from trace impurities of the solvents. For headspace techniques, a blank run is also recommended to check impurities coming from the tubings and/or adsorbents used. 

Solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) allows isolation and concentration of volatile components rapidly and easily without the use of a solvent. These techniques are independent of the form of the matrix liquids, solids and gases can be sampled quite readily. SPME is an equilibrium technique and accurate quantification requires that the extraction conditions be controlled carefully. Each chemical component will behave differently depending on its polarity, volatility, organic/water partition coefficient, volume of the sample and headspace, speed of agitation, pH of the solution and temperature of the sample (Harmon, 2002). The techniques involve the use of an inert fiber coated with an absorbant, which govern its properties. Volatile components are adsorbed onto a suitable SPME fiber (which are usually discriminative for a range of volatile components), desorbed in the injection chamber and separated by a suitable GC column. To use this method effectively, it is important to be familiar with the factors that influence recovery of the volatiles (Reineccius, 2002). 

The isolation and concentration of petroleum products can be performed in several ways. The most efficient method is passive adsorption. In this method, the sample along with a tube filled with Tenax TA adsorbent is placed in a thermostated (60-70 °C) tightly closed container, such as a glass jar, for over 10 h. Under these conditions, a balance between compounds present in the headspace of the sample and the sample adsorbed on the polymer adsorbent is established. Adsorbed compounds are subjected to thermodesorbtion then, the desorbed compounds together with the carrier gas are injected onto a GC column, where they are separated and then identified. This approach has enabled easy detection and identification of trace amounts of petroleum products. Headspace analysis with passive adsorption on Tenax TA is normally used for separation and concentration of analytes. Gas chromatography coupled with an autothermal desorber and a mass spectrometer (ATD-GC-MS) is the best technique for separation of multicomponent mixtures... 

Monomers are either gaseous or relatively volatile liquids and so GC and GC-MS based techniques are used to determine them in both the rubber compound and the food simulant/food product. To simplify the analysis, a static headspace sampler is often used to isolate the monomer from the sample matrix an extraction procedure often presenting chromatographic problems with the extraction solvent obscuring the analyte. 

Neither soxhlet extraction nor steam distillation is designed to isolate volatiles from solids for subsequent determination. Slurrying the solids in water and then applying the PaT procedure has been reported A vacuum extractor with cryogenic concentration has been applied to both fish and sediment samples for determination of volatile priority pollutants PaT, LLE, and static headspace techniques have all been applied to the determination of volatiles in sludges from municipal waste treatment plants... 

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