Express determination of methanol in alcoholic beverages by gas chromate-mass spectrometry
Abstract
The article presents an express method for the determination of methanol in alcoholic beverages using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) of distillates obtained by the distillation of ethanol from the analysed beverage. The development is aimed at solving the problem of improving the analytical quality control and safety of alcoholic beverages. The GC-MS method is now becoming a priority instrumental method used in accredited analytical laboratories for identification of impurities of contaminants in alcoholic products. Due to a rather large number of cases of acute methanol poisoning as a result of the use of falsified alcoholic drinks, surrogates, and other alcohol-containing liquids, the development of express methods for performing measurements on chromato-mass-spectrometric equipment is an urgent problem.
Methanol is a toxic compound, its minimum amounts are typical for cognac spirits, its traces are present in drinkable ethyl alcohol in a smaller amount, but its content is strictly regulated. It should be noted that the smell and taste of methanol is indistinguishable from ethanol, which contributes to its abuse. The analysis of distillates, whiskey, rum, tequila and aperitifs revealed a chromatographic overlapping of methanol and ethyl acetate peaks. Conditions that ensure the sufficient separation of the target analytes were selected for the selective determination.
The analysis was performed using GC-MS on an Agilent 8890 gas chromatograph equipped with a model 5977B mass selective detector and a high polarity HP-FFAP capillary column with a column length of 50 m. As a result of the planning of the experiment, the optimal modes for the determination of methanol were selected, while the determination of ethyl acetate was possible at the same time. The developed method for the determination of methanol in alcoholic beverages using GC-MS can be recommended for use in quality control and safety of alcoholic products, as well as in forensic medical examination as a reference method for confirming the reliability of methyl alcohol identification.
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References
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