Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction Followed by HS-SPME for the Determination of Flavor Enhancers in Seafood Using GC-MS

The determination of flavor compounds using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) can be severely interfered with by complex food matrices in food systems, especially solid samples. In this study, dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) was applied prior to HS-SPME to efficiently reduce the matrix effect in solid seafood samples. The method had high sensitivity (the quantification limits of maltol and ethyl maltol were 15 and 5 mu g/kg, respectively), an excellent linear relationship (R2 >= 0.996), and the sample recovery rate was 89.0-118.6%. The relative standard deviation (RSD %) values for maltol and ethyl maltol were lower than 10%. Maltol (from 0.7 to 2.2 mu g/g) and ethyl maltol (from 0.9 to 34.7 mu g/g) in seafood were detected in the selected samples by the developed method. Finally, DLLME coupled with HS-SPME effectively removed the influence of sample matrix and improved the sensitivity of the method. The developed method was applicable in the analysis of flavor enhancers in complex matrix foods.

Automated summary

The determination of flavor compounds in food systems, especially solid samples, can be interfered with by complex food matrices. In this study, dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) was applied prior to headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) to reduce the matrix effect in solid seafood samples. The developed method showed high sensitivity, excellent linear relationship, and good recovery rate, and was able to detect maltol and ethyl maltol in selected seafood samples. DLLME coupled with HS-SPME effectively removed the influence of sample matrix and improved the sensitivity of the method.