Proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) is a soft ionization mass spectrometric technique for monitoring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with a very low limit of detection (LOD) (parts per trillion by volume) and excellent time resolution (split seconds). This makes PTR-MS a particularly interesting instrument for investigating surface desorption kinetics of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under realistic conditions, i.e., at ambient pressure from a heterogeneous surface. Here, we report on the investigation of heterogeneous inlet surface kinetics with PTR-MS and based thereon, develop concepts to assist compound identification in PTR-MS. First, we studied differential isothermal desorption kinetics using heterogeneous inlet surface data measured by Mikoviny et al. [7] with their newly developed high-temp-PTR-MS. The best fit to their data is obtained with bimodal pseudo-first order kinetics. In addition, we explored the normalization of the data and calculated data points of the desorption isotherms. We found evidence that the interesting part of the isotherm can be linearized in a double log plot. Then we investigated the idea to use memory effects of the inlet system to assist compound identification. At the moment, the main problem is the dependence of the kinetics on the initial equilibrium gas phase adsorption concentration, and thus, the surface coverage. As a solution, we suggest an empirical, quasi-concentration independent, yet compound specific parameter: the normalized desorption time tnd describing the decline of the signal to 1/e2 of the initial concentration, normalized to an initial concentration of 10,000 counts per second (cps). Furthermore, we investigated property–property and structure–property relationships of this new parameter. Further possible improvements are discussed as well.

In the course of the FP7-SEC project "SPIRIT" (Safety and Protection of built Infrastructure to Resist Integral Threats) we focused our research with Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) on C-agents, specifically Toxic Industrial Compounds (TICs). Most TICs are readily available and represent a considerable threat when used in terroristic attacks. We show the principal procedure of PTR-MS detection measurements on two chemicals, namely phosgene and chloroacetone. With studies of the former we want to point out principle differences between measurements on a quadrupole mass filter based and a Time-of-Flight-based PTR-MS instrument and point out the respective benefits and drawbacks. For the latter we present the results of a diluted headspace measurement and illustrate the connection with security standards in buildings.

Recently the coupling of proton transfer reaction ionization with a time-of-flight mass analyser (PTR-TOF-MS) has been proposed to realise a volatile organic compound (VOC) detector that overcomes the limitations in terms of time and mass resolution of the previous instrument based on a quadrupole mass analysers (PTR-Quad-MS). This opens new horizons for research and allows for new applications in fields where the rapid and sensitive monitoring and quantification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is crucial as, for instance, environmental sciences, food sciences and medicine. In particular, if coupled with appropriate data mining methods, it can provide a fast MS-nose system with rich analytical information. The main, perhaps even the only, drawback of this new technique in comparison to its precursor is related to the increased size and complexity of the data sets obtained. It appears that this is the main limitation to its full use and widespread application. Here we present and discuss a complete computer-based strategy for the data analysis of PTR-TOF-MS data from basic mass spectra handling, to the application of up-to date data mining methods. As a case study we apply the whole procedure to the classification of apple cultivars and clones, which was based on the distinctive profiles of volatile organic compound emissions.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and biogenic VOCs (BVOCs), in particular, are a major topic in food science and technology. They play an important role in the perception of odor and flavor and, thus, in food appreciation. Their fast, non-invasive detection helps to control product quality and to monitor fundamental and industrial processes. Furthermore, there is increasing concern about the impact of VOCs and BVOCs from food production on our environment and health. In this contribution, we discuss food-related applications of proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS), an emerging technique that allows direct, fast, sensitive monitoring of VOCs. After introducing the principles of PTR-MS, we review its applications in food science and technology, highlighting its capabilities from using complete mass spectra as characteristic fingerprints all the way to identifying and quantifying single compounds in a complex food matrix. We end with a description of fundamental studies from food sciences and outline new opportunities offered by recent technological advances.

Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) provides on-line monitoring of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with a low detection threshold and a fast response time. Commercially available set-ups are usually based on quadrupole analysers that, due to the unit mass resolution, do not provide useful analytical information besides the nominal mass of the ions detected. Recently new instruments based on time-of-flight (PTR-TOF-MS) analysers have been proposed and commercialized. They provide higher mass resolution and thus improve the analytical information contained in the spectra. Mass accuracy, however, is an issue that has not been considered in great detail in the published papers on PTR-TOF-MS so far. We show here that the mass accuracy obtained by a commercial apparatus can be improved by proper data analysis. In particular, internal calibration based on an improved algorithm allows for a mass accuracy that suffices for elemental determination in the most common situations. Achieving good mass accuracy is a fundamental step for further exploiting the analytical potential of PTR-MS.

Volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) are key compounds in many fields of basic and applied science and technology, such as environmental sciences, food science, geochemistry, petrochemistry, agriculture, biology and medicine. Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) allows for on-line monitoring of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and, in particular, of VSCs with ultra low detection limits and a fast response time. In principle, with PTR-MS, absolute quantification of VOC concentrations without calibration is possible, provided the branching ratios are known. However, for this, the reaction rate coefficients between VOCs and the hydronium ion have also to be known. Several well-established theories may be used to determine ion-neutral molecule reaction rate coefficients. In the case of H3O+–VOC reactions proceeding in a PTR-MS drift tube, a key factor to be considered is the centre-of-mass energy, which is generally much higher than the thermal energy, due to the additional translational (drift) energy of the ion. Nevertheless, it is common practice to employ collision theories that do not show an explicit dependence on the centre-of-mass energy. First we review basic aspects of ion-neutral reactions in the PTR-MS drift tube and various methods to calculate reaction rate coefficients. Next, we calculate, on the basis of quantum chemical methods and different theoretical approaches for ion-molecule collisions, reaction rate coefficients between selected sulphur compounds and H3O+. Finally, we discuss proper methods for the calculations of ion-neutral molecule reaction rate coefficients in the context of PTR-MS and the corresponding experimental parameters involved.

The presence of benzene in food and in particular in soft drinks has been reported in several studies and should be considered in fundamental investigations about formation of this carcinogen compound as well as in quality control. Proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) has been used here for rapid, direct quantification of benzene and to monitor its formation in model systems related to the use of benzoate, a common preservative, in presence of ascorbic acid: a widespread situation that yields benzene in, e.g., soft drinks and fruit juices. Firstly, we demonstrate here that PTR-MS allows a rapid determination of benzene that is in quantitative agreement with independent solid phase micro-extraction/gas chromatography (SPME/GC) analysis. Secondly, as a case study, the effect of different sugars (sucrose, fructose and glucose) on benzene formation is investigated indicating that they inhibit its formation and that this effect is enhanced for reducing sugars. The sugar-induced inhibition of benzene formation depends on several parameters (type and concentration of sugar, temperature, time) but can be more than 80% in situations that can be expected in the storage of commercial soft drinks. This is consistent with the reported observations of higher benzene concentrations in sugar-free soft drinks.

Proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) data have been analysed by chemometric techniques to monitor cheese ageing by means of on-line direct head-space gas analysis. Twenty cheese loaves of Trentingrana, a trademarked cheese produced in northern Italy, of different origin and ripening degree, were sampled over the whole Trentingrana production area. An increase of the spectral intensity with ripening has been observed for most of the PTR-MS peaks and a univariate analysis identified 16 mass peaks that were significantly different for ripened and young cheeses, respectively. Moreover, the usefulness of different discriminant analyses and class modelling techniques have been investigated. Discriminant Partial Least Squares analysis, while indicating average behaviour and possible outliers, was not able to correctly classify all samples. Soft class modelling performed better and allowed a 100% correct classification. Partial least square calibration predicted the ageing time of each loaf with reasonable accuracy with a maximum cross-validation error of 3.5 months.

The present communication deals with the improvement of proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) wine headspace analyses. In contrast to previous PTR-MS investigations of wine, where wine headspace was ionized by protonated ethanol clusters, the headspace was diluted by a factor of 1:40 with N2 and ionized by H3O+ ions. This method is better suited for routine applications than the previously reported method since it is simpler, faster, and the mass spectra obtained are less complex. A test wine was mixed with ethanol and with water to yield ethanol contents ranging from 10 to 15% (v/v) and these mixtures were analyzed to assess whether any quantitative differences in the composition of volatiles were detectable. The data showed no impact of the ethanol content on the wine headspace composition. The new method was applied to eight different wine samples produced from two different grape varieties: Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Each variety was grown in two different locations in South Tyrol (Northern Italy) and harvested at two different dates. Quantitative (but not qualitative) differences in PTR-MS spectra between the two wine varieties were observed. Using principal component analysis of selected m/z signals differentiation between Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon samples was achievable.

Esters strongly influence the perceived aroma of alcoholic beverages and their rapid monitoring can play an important role in the quality control of these products. Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) allows the rapid and non invasive monitoring of foodstuff but there is still a lack of information about the proton transfer induced fragmentation and on the effect of high ethanol concentration. PTR-MS fragmentation patterns of 21 esters are reported, most of them for the first time. For linear methyl and ethyl esters the fragmentation dependence on E/N was also evaluated. Acetate esters, with exception of methyl acetate, show as main peaks the characteristic fragment ions at m/z 61 and m/z 43, whereas propanoate esters, but methyl propanoate, exhibit as main peaks the typical signals at m/z 75 and m/z 57. For all the other esters, here reported, the spectra are dominated by the protonated molecular ion. For methyl and ethyl esters we also report, in many cases for the first time, the water-solution/air partition coefficients (Henry's law constant) and the ethanol-solution/air partition coefficients at different ethanol concentrations. The information provided in this work may be useful as a basis for further studies for the identification and quantification of esters in the headspace of alcoholic beverages extending the application field of PTR-MS.

Proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) is a spectrometric technique that allows direct injection and analysis of mixtures of volatile compounds. Its coupling with data mining techniques provides a reliable and fast method for the automatic characterization of agroindustrial products. We test the validity of this approach to identify samples of strawberry cultivars by measurements of single intact fruits. The samples used were collected over 3 years and harvested in different locations. Three data mining techniques (random forests, penalized discriminant analysis and discriminant partial least squares) have been applied to the full PTR-MS spectra without any preliminary projection or feature selection. We tested the classification models in three different ways (leave-one-out and leave-group-out internal cross validation, and leaving a full year aside), thereby demonstrating that strawberry cultivars can be identified by rapid non-destructive measurements of single fruits. Performances of the different classification methods are compared.

Proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) is a relatively new technique that allows the fast and accurate detection of volatile organic compounds. The paper discusses the possibility of correlating the PTR-MS spectral fingerprint of the mixture of volatile compounds present in the head-space of 20 samples of “Trentingrana”, the variety of Grana Padano produced in Trentino (Northern Italy), with the sensory evaluation (Quantitative Descriptive Analysis) of the same samples obtained by a panel of trained judges. Only attributes related to odours (six attributes) and flavours (six attributes) are considered. Results of descriptive statistics are shown and the performances of different multivariate calibration methods (Partial Least Squares, both PLS1 and PLS2) are compared by evaluating the errors in the cross-validated estimation of the sensory attributes. PLS2 seems to give a good average description providing an overall insight of the problem but does not provide an accurate prediction of the individual sensory attributes. PLS1 analysis is more accurate and performs well in most cases but it uses several latent variables, so that the interpretation of the loadings is not straightforward. The preliminary application of Orthogonal Signal Correction filtering on PTR-MS spectra followed by PLS1 analysis results in a good estimation for most of the attributes and has the advantage to use only one or two latent variables. Comparison with other works and a tentative indication of the compounds correlated with sensory description are reported.

The interaction of oral processing protocols and food texture on in vivo flavour release was evaluated by nose-space analysis. Nose-space analysis was carried out by proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry, and strawberry-flavoured custards were prepared with 0.1% (w/w) and 1.0% (w/w) carboxymethyl cellulose to modify the texture. Two oral processing protocols were adopted during the study; a free-chewing protocol and an imposed protocol. Twenty-one subjects participated in the study. Significant effects on in-nose flavour release were observed for the type of compound, the custard's texture, the oral processing protocol and the subjects. When people were allowed to eat as they normally do, individuals could be divided into three groups on the basis of swallowing time: first group, swallowing time <4 s; second group, swallowing time >6 s; intermediate group, t(swallow) varying (4–6 s). Within each group, different effects of the texture of the custards on in-nose flavour concentrations were observed, indicating that individual behaviour plays a considerable role in determining texture effects on flavour perception.

The availability of genetic linkage maps enables the detection and analysis of QTLs contributing to quality traits of the genotype. Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS), a relatively novel spectrometric technique, has been applied to measure the headspace composition of the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted by apple fruit genotypes of the progeny ‘Fiesta’ × ‘Discovery’. Fruit samples were characterised by their PTR-MS spectra normalised to total area. QTL analysis for all PTR-MS peaks was carried out and 10 genomic regions associated with the peaks at m/z = 28, 43, 57, 61, 103, 115 and 145 were identified (LOD > 2.5). We show that it is possible to find quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to PTR-MS characterisation of the headspace composition of single whole apple fruits indicating the presence of a link between molecular characterisation and PTR-MS data. We provide tentative information on the metabolites related to the detected QTLs based on available chemical information. A relation between apple skin colour and peaks related to carbonyl compounds was established.