<p>Drying process is commonly used to allow long time storage of valuable porcini mushrooms (Boletus edulis). Although considered a stable product dried porcini flavour changes during storage. Monitoring of volatile compounds during shelf life may help to understand the nature of the observed changes. In the present work two mass spectrometric techniques were used to monitor the evolution of volatile compounds during commercial shelf life of dried porcini. Solid phase microextraction (SPME) coupled to gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) allowed the identification of 66 volatile compounds, 36 of which reported for the first time, monitored during the commercial shelf life of dried porcini. Proton transfer reaction - time of flight - mass spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS) , a direct injection mass spectrometric technique, was shown to be a fast and sensitive instrument for the general monitoring of volatile compound evolution during storage of dried porcini. Furthermore, PTR-ToF-MS grants access to compounds whose determination would otherwise require lengthy pre-concentration and/or derivatization steps such as ammonia and small volatile amines. The two techniques, both used for the first time to study dried porcini, provided detailed description of time evolution of volatile compounds during shelf life. Alcohols, aldehydes, ketones and monoterpenes diminish during the storage while carboxylic acids, pyrazines, lactones and amines increase. The storage temperature modifies the rate of the observed changes influencing the final quality of the dried porcini. We showed the advantages of both techniques, suggesting a strategy to be adopted to follow time evolution of volatile compounds in food products during shelf life, based on the identification of compounds by GC-MS and the rapid time monitoring by PTR-ToF-MS measurements in order to maximize the advantages of both techniques.</p>

<p>In this paper volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from Tuber magnatum fruiting bodies were analyzed using a PTR-TOF-MS instrument. The aim was to characterize the VOC&#39;s profile of the fruiting bodies and identify if any VOCs were specific to a season and geographical areas. Multiple factorial analysis (MFA) was carried out on the signals obtained by MS. Experiments using ITS region sequencing proved that the T. magnatum life cycle includes the formation of fruiting bodies at two different times of the year. The VOCs profiles diverge when different seasonal and geographical productions are considered. Using PTR-TOF-MS, compounds present at levels as low pptv were detected. This made it possible to determine both the origin of fruiting bodies (Alba and San Miniato) and the two biological phases of fruiting bodies formation in San Miniato truffles.</p>

<p>Mass spectrometry has been frequently applied to monitor the O2 and CO2 content in the off-gas of animal cell culture fermentations. In contrast to classical mass spectrometry the proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) provides additional information of volatile organic compounds by application of a soft ionization technology. Hence, the spectra show less fragments and can more accurately assigned to particular compounds. In order to discriminate between compounds of non-metabolic and metabolic origin cell free experiments and fed-batch cultivations with a recombinant CHO cell line were conducted. As a result, in total eight volatiles showing high relevance to individual cultivation or cultivation conditions could be identified. Among the detected compounds methanethiol, with a mass-to-charge ratio of 49, qualifies as a key candidate in process monitoring due to its strong connectivity to lactate formation. Moreover, the versatile and complex data sets acquired by PTR MS provide a valuable resource for statistical modeling to predict non direct measurable parameters. Hence, partial least square regression was applied to the complete spectra of volatiles measured and important cell culture parameters such as viable cell density estimated (R2&thinsp;=&thinsp;0.86). As a whole, the results of this study clearly show that PTR-MS provides a powerful tool to improve bioprocess-monitoring for mammalian cell culture. Thus, specific volatiles emitted by cells and measured online by the PTR-MS and complex variables gained through statistical modeling will contribute to a deeper process understanding in the future and open promising perspectives to bioprocess control. &copy; 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2014</p>

<p>Biogenic Volatile Organic Compound (BVOC) fluxes were measured onboard the CIRPAS Twin Otter aircraft as part of the California Airborne BVOC Emission Research in Natural Ecosystem Transects (CABERNET) campaign during June 2011. The airborne virtual disjunct eddy covariance (AvDEC) approach used measurements from a PTR-MS and a wind radome probe to directly determine fluxes of isoprene, MVK + MAC, methanol, monoterpenes, and MBO over 10 000 km of flight paths focusing on areas of California predicted to have the largest emissions of isoprene. The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) approach was used to calculate fluxes over long transects of more than 15 km, most commonly between 50 and 150 km. The Continuous Wavelet Transformation (CWT) approach was used over the same transects to also calculate &quot;instantaneous&quot; fluxes with localization of both frequency and time independent of non-stationarities. Vertical flux divergence of isoprene is expected due to its relatively short lifetime and was measured directly using &quot;racetrack&quot; profiles at multiple altitudes. It was found to be linear and in the range 5% to 30% depending on the ratio of aircraft altitude to PBL height (z / zi). Fluxes were generally measured by flying consistently at 400 &plusmn; 50 m (a.g.l.) altitude, and extrapolated to the surface according to the determined flux divergence. The wavelet-derived surface fluxes of isoprene averaged to 2 km spatial resolution showed good correspondence to Basal Emission Factor (BEF) landcover datasets used to drive biogenic VOC (BVOC) emission models. The surface flux of isoprene was close to zero over Central Valley crops and desert shrublands, but was very high (up to 15 mg m&minus;2 h&minus;1) above oak woodlands, with clear dependence of emissions on temperature and oak density. Isoprene concentrations of up to 8 ppb were observed at aircraft height on the hottest days and over the dominant source regions. While isoprene emissions from agricultural crop regions, shrublands, and coniferous forests were extremely low, high concentrations of methanol and monoterpenes were found above some of these regions. These observations demonstrate the ability to measure fluxes from specific sources by eddy covariance from an aircraft, and suggest the utility of measurements using fast response chemical sensors to constrain emission inventories and map out source distributions for a much broader array of trace gases than was observed in this study. This paper reports the first regional direct eddy covariance fluxes of isoprene. The emissions of VOCs measured from aircraft with 2 km spatial resolution can quantify the distribution of major sources providing the observations required for testing statewide emission inventories of these important trace gases. These measurements will be used in a future study to assess BVOC emission models and their driving variable datasets.</p>

<p>A method is presented for the real-time quantitative determination of isocyanic acid (ICA) in air using proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). Quantum mechanical calculations were performed to establish the ion-polar molecule reaction rate of ICA and other isocyanates. The PTR-MS was calibrated against different ICA air concentrations and humidity conditions using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) as quantitative reference. Based on these experiments a simple humidity dependant model was derived for correction of the PTR-MS response for ICA. The corrected PTR-MS data was linearly correlated (R2 &gt; 0.99) with the data acquired by FT-IR. The PTR-MS instrumental limit of detection (LOD) for ICA was 2.3 ppb. Humid atmospheres resulted in LODs of 3.4 and 7.8 ppb, at an absolute humidity (AH) of 4.0 and 15.5 g m-3, respectively. Furthermore, off-line sampling using denuder and impinger samplers using di-n-butylamine (DBA) as derivatization reagent was compared with PTR-MS measurements in a dynamically generated standard ICA atmosphere. Denuder (n = 4) and impinger (n = 4) sampling subsequent to liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) determination compared to corrected PTR-MS data resulted in recoveries of 79.6 (8.1 % RSD) and 99.9 (9.3 % RSD) %, respectively. Measurements of ICA from thermally decomposed cured 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI)-paint was performed used PTR-MS and denuder (n = 3) sampling. The relation between the average ICA responses using denuders (34.4 ppb) and PTR-MS (42.6 ppb) was 80.6 %, which coincided well with the relative recovery obtained from the controlled laboratory experiments using dynamically generated ICA atmospheres (79.6 %). The variability in ICA air concentration during the welding process (170 % RSDPTR-MS) illustrated the need for real-time measurements.</p>

<p>A method is presented for the real-time quantitative determination of isocyanic acid (ICA) in air using proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). Quantum mechanical calculations were performed to establish the ion-polar molecule reaction rate of ICA and other isocyanates. The PTR-MS was calibrated against different ICA air concentrations and humidity conditions using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) as quantitative reference. Based on these experiments a simple humidity dependant model was derived for correction of the PTR-MS response for ICA. The corrected PTR-MS data was linearly correlated (R(2) &gt; 0.99) with the data acquired by FT-IR. The PTR-MS instrumental limit of detection (LOD) for ICA was 2.3 ppb. Humid atmospheres resulted in LODs of 3.4 and 7.8 ppb, at an absolute humidity (AH) of 4.0 and 15.5 g m(-3), respectively. Furthermore, off-line sampling using denuder and impinger samplers using di-n-butylamine (DBA) as derivatization reagent was compared with PTR-MS measurements in a dynamically generated standard ICA atmosphere. Denuder (n = 4) and impinger (n = 4) sampling subsequent to liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) determination compared to corrected PTR-MS data resulted in recoveries of 79.6 (8.1% RSD) and 99.9 (9.3% RSD) %, respectively. Measurements of ICA from thermally decomposed cured 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI)-paint was performed using PTR-MS and denuder (n = 3) sampling. The relation between the average ICA responses using denuders (34.4 ppb) and PTR-MS (42.6 ppb) was 80.6%, which coincided well with the relative recovery obtained from the controlled laboratory experiments using dynamically generated ICA atmospheres (79.6%). The variability in ICA air concentration during the welding process (170% RSDPTR-MS) illustrated the need for real-time measurements.</p>

<p>In the field of Indoor Air Quality research, the measurement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) demands instruments that are rapid, mobile, robust, highly sensitive and allow for simultaneous monitoring of multiple compounds. These instruments should also compensate for possible interferences from permanent gases and air humidity. Proton-transfer-reaction-mass-spectrometry (PTR-MS) has proved to be a valuable and promising technique that fits the mentioned requirements for a suitable online measuring device. In this study, five exemplary applications of PTR-MS are described: (i) release of paint additives during drying process, (ii) emission of VOCs from active hardcopy devices, (iii) reference material evaluation, (iv) diffusion studies, and (v) emission testing of building products. The examples are selected to illustrate possibilities and limitations of the PTR technique in this field of research. The quadruple-based PTR-QMS was able to determine the emission characteristics during the experiments, especially in case of depleting emission sources (e.g., reference material). This allows for chemometrical analysis of the measured release patterns and detection of underlying processes. However, PTR-QMS reaches a functional limit in case of compound identification. If identification of VOCs is necessary, the measurements need to be accompanied by GC/MS analytics or a PTR instrument with higher mass-resolution (e.g., PTR-TOF-MS).</p>

<p>Coeliac disease (CD) is a common chronic inflammatory disorder of the small bowel induced in genetically susceptible people by the exposure to gliadin gluten. Even though several tests are available to assist the diagnosis, CD remains a biopsy-defined disorder, thus any non-invasive or less invasive diagnostic tool may be beneficial. The analysis of volatile metabolites in exhaled breath, given its non-invasive nature, is particularly promising as a screening tool of disease in symptomatic or non-symptomatic patients. In this preliminary study the proton transfer reaction time of flight mass spectrometry coupled to a buffered end-tidal on-line sampler to investigate metabolites in the exhaled breath of patients affected by coeliac disease under a gluten free diet was applied. Both H3O+ or NO+ were used as precursor ions. In our investigation no differences were found in the exhaled breath of CD patients compared to healthy controls. In this study, 33 subjects were enrolled: 16 patients with CD, all adhering a gluten free diet, and 17 healthy controls. CD patients did not show any symptom of the disease at the time of breath analysis; thus the absence of discrimination from healthy controls was not surprising.</p>

<p>Demand for ethanol substituted fuels from the utilisation of cereal based biofuel has resulted in an over production of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) that are now readily available on the animal feed market. With this rapid emerging availability comes potential variability in the nutritional value of DDGS and possible risks of feed contaminants. Subsequently, the authentication and traceability of alternative animal feed sources is of high priority. In this study and as part of the EU research project &quot;Quality and Safety of Feeds and Food for Europe (QSAFFE FP7-KBBE-2010-4) an attempt was made to classify the geographical origin of cereal grains used in the production of DDGS material. DDGS material of wheat and corn origin were obtained from Europe, China, and the USA. Fatty acid profiles and volatile fingerprints were assessed by gas chromatography flame ionisation (GC-FID) and rapid proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) respectively. Chemometric analysis of fatty acid profiles and volatile fingerprints allowed for promising classifications of cereals used in DDGS material by geographical and botanical origin and enabled visual representation of the data. This objective analytical approach could be adapted for routine verification of cereal grains used in the production of DDGS material.</p>

<p>The present work investigates electricity production using a high efficiency electrochemical generator that employs as fuel a biogas from the dry anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). The as-produced biogas contains several contaminants (sulfur, halogen, organic silicon and aromatic compounds) that can be harmful for the fuel cell: these were monitored via an innovative mass spectrometry technique that enables for in-line and real-time quantification. A cleaning trap with activated carbons for the removal of sulfur and other VOCs contained in the biogas was also tested and monitored by observing the different breakthrough times of studied contaminants. The electrochemical generator was a commercial Ni anode-supported planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC), tested for more than 300 h with a simulated biogas mixture (CH4 60 vol.%, CO2 40 vol.%), directly fed to the anode electrode. Air was added to promote the direct internal conversion of CH4 to H2 and CO via partial oxidation (POx). The initial breakthrough of H2S from the cleaning section was also simulated and tested by adding &sim;1 ppm(v) of sulfur in the anode feed; a full recovery of the fuel cell performance after 24h of sulfur exposure (&sim;1 ppm(v)) was observed upon its removal, indicating the reliable time of anode exposure to sulfur in case of exhausted guard bed.</p>

<p>The Biosphere Effects on AeRosols and Photochemistry EXperiment (BEARPEX) took place in Blodgett Forest, a Ponderosa pine forest in the Sierra Nevada of California, USA, during summer 2009. We deployed a proton transfer reaction&ndash;quadrupole mass spectrometer (PTR-QMS) to measure fluxes and concentrations of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs). Eighteen ion species, including the major BVOC expected at the site, were measured sequentially at 5 heights to observe their vertical gradient from the forest floor to above the canopy. Fluxes of the 3 dominant BVOCs methanol, 2-Methyl-3-butene-2-ol (MBO), and monoterpenes were measured above the canopy by the disjunct eddy covariance (EC) method. Canopy-scale fluxes were also determined by the flux&ndash;gradient similarity method (K-theory). A universal K (Kuniv) was determined as the mean of individual K&#39;s calculated from the measured fluxes divided by vertical gradients for methanol, MBO, and monoterpenes. This Kuniv was then multiplied by the gradients of each observed ion species to compute their fluxes. The flux&ndash;gradient similarity method showed very good agreement with the disjunct EC method. Fluxes are presented for all measured species and compared to historical measurements from the same site, and used to test emission algorithms used to model fluxes at the regional scale. MBO was the dominant emission observed, followed by methanol, monoterpenes, acetone, and acetaldehyde. The flux&ndash;gradient similarity method is shown to be tenable, and we recommend its use, especially in experimental conditions when fast measurement of BVOC species is not available.</p>

<p>We deployed a high-resolution proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrom-eter (PTR-TOF-MS) to measure biomass burning emissions from peat, crop-residue, cooking fires, and many other fire types during the fourth Fire Lab at Missoula Experi-ment (FLAME-4) laboratory campaign. A combination of gas standards calibrations and 5 composition sensitive, mass dependent calibration curves were applied to quantify gas-phase non-methane organic compounds (NMOCs) observed in the complex mixture of fire emissions. We used several approaches to assign best identities to most major &quot;exact masses&quot; including many high molecular mass species. Using these methods ap-proximately 80&ndash;96 % of the total NMOC mass detected by PTR-TOF-MS and FTIR was 10 positively or tentatively identified for major fuel types. We report data for many rarely measured or previously unmeasured emissions in several compound classes including aromatic hydrocarbons, phenolic compounds, and furans; many of which are suspected secondary organic aerosol precursors. A large set of new emission factors (EFs) for a range of globally significant biomass fuels is presented. Measurements show that 15 oxygenated NMOCs accounted for the largest fraction of emissions of all compound classes. In a brief study of various traditional and advanced cooking methods, the EFs for these emissions groups were greatest for open 3-stone cooking in comparison to their more advanced counterparts. Several little-studied nitrogen-containing organic compounds were detected from many fuel types that together accounted for 0.1&ndash;8.7 % 20 of the fuel nitrogen and some may play a role in new particle formation.</p>

<p>One seventh of the world population lives in the Indo&ndash;Gangetic Plain (IGP) and the fertile region sustains agricultural food crop production for much of South Asia. Yet it remains one of the most under-studied regions of the world in terms of atmospheric composition and chemistry. In particular, the emissions and chemistry of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that form surface ozone and secondary organic aerosol through photochemical reactions involving nitrogen oxides is not well understood. In this study, ambient levels of VOCs such as methanol, acetone, acetaldehyde, acetonitrile and isoprene were measured for the first time in the IGP. A new atmospheric chemistry facility that combines India&#39;s first high sensitivity proton transfer reaction mass spectrometer, an ambient air quality station and meteorological station, was used to quantify in-situ levels of several VOCs and air pollutants in May 2012 at a suburban site in Mohali (N. W. IGP). Westerly winds arriving at high wind speeds (5&ndash;20 m s&minus;1) in the pre-monsoon season at the site, were conducive for chemical characterization of regional emission signatures. Average levels of VOCs and air pollutants in May 2012 ranged from 1.2&ndash;1.7 nmol mol&minus;1 for aromatic VOCs, 5.9&ndash;37.4 nmol mol&minus;1 for the oxygenated VOCs, 1.4 nmol mol&minus;1 for acetonitrile, 1.9 nmol mol&minus;1 for isoprene, 567 nmol mol&minus;1 for carbon monoxide, 57.8 nmol mol&minus;1 for ozone, 11.5 nmol mol&minus;1 for nitrogen oxides, 7.3 nmol mol&minus;1 for sulphur dioxide, 104 μg m&minus;3 for PM2.5 and 276 μg m&minus;3 for PM10. By analyzing the one minute in-situ data with meteorological parameters and applying chemical tracers (e.g. acetonitrile for biomass burning) and inter-VOC correlations, we were able to constrain major emission source activities on both temporal and diel scales. Wheat residue burning activity caused massive increases (&gt; 3 times of baseline values) for all the measured VOCs and primary pollutants. Other forms of biomass burning at night were also a significant source for oxygenated VOCs and isoprene (r2 with acetonitrile &ge; 0.5 for night-time data), which is remarkable in terms of atmospheric chemistry implications. Surface ozone exceeded the 8 h national ambient air quality limit of 100 μg O3 m&minus;3 on a daily basis, except for 17 May 2012, when a severe dust storm event (PM2.5 &gt; 800 μg m&minus;3; PM10 &gt; 2700 μg m&minus;3) characterized by long range transport from the west impacted the site. The novel dataset and results point to occurrence of high primary emissions of reactive VOCs. They also highlight the urgent need for establishing more comprehensive observational facilities in the IGP to constrain the spatial and seasonal variability of atmospheric chemical constituents. Such efforts will enable mechanistic level understanding of the in-situ chemical processes controlling formation of surface ozone, a necessary step for effective ozone mitigation and improvement of the regional air quality.</p>

<p>Proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry (PTR-MS), in its recently developed implementation based on time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-TOFMS), was used to rapidly determine the volatile compounds present in fruits of Capsicum spp.We analyzed the volatile organic compounds emission profile of freshly cut chili peppers belonging to three species and 33 different cultivars. PTR-TOFMS data, analyzed with appropriate and advanced multivariate class-modeling approaches, perfectly discriminated among the three species (100% correct classification in validation set). VIP (variable importance in projection) scores were used to select the 15 most important volatile compounds in discriminating the species. The best candidates for Capsicum spp. were compounds with measured m/z of 63.027, 101.096 and 107.050, which were, respectively, tentatively identified as dimethyl sulfide, hexanal and benzaldehyde.Based on the promising results, the possibility of introducing multivariate class-modeling techniques, different from the classification approaches, in the field of volatile compounds analyses is discussed. &copy; 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>

<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Herein, we report on the development of a compact proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer for airborne measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The new instrument resolves isobaric ions with a mass resolving power (</span><i style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">m</i><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">/Δ</span><i style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">m</i><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">) of ~ 1000, provides accurate&nbsp;</span><i style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">m/z</i><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;measurements (Δ</span><i style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">m</i><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">&nbsp;&lt; 3 mDa), records full mass spectra at 1 Hz and thus overcomes some of the major analytical deficiencies of quadrupole-MS based airborne instruments. 1 Hz detection limits for biogenic VOCs (isoprene, α-pinene), aromatic VOCs (benzene, toluene, xylenes) and ketones (acetone, methyl ethyl ketone) range from 0.05 to 0.12 ppbV, making the instrument well-suited for fast measurements in the continental boundary layer. The instrument detects and quantifies VOCs in locally confined plumes (&lt; 1km) which improves our capability of characterizing emission sources and atmospheric processing within plumes. A deployment during the NASA 2013 DISCOVER-AQ mission generated high vertical and horizontal resolution in situ data of VOCs and ammonia for validation of satellite retrievals and chemistry transport models.</span></p>

<p>Herein, we report on the development of a compact proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS) for airborne measurements of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The new instrument resolves isobaric ions with a mass resolving power (m/Δm) of &nbsp;1000, provides accurate m/z measurements (Δm &lt; 3 mDa), records full mass spectra at 1 Hz and thus overcomes some of the major analytical deficiencies of quadrupole-MS-based airborne instruments. 1 Hz detection limits for biogenic VOCs (isoprene, α total monoterpenes), aromatic VOCs (benzene, toluene, xylenes) and ketones (acetone, methyl ethyl ketone) range from 0.05 to 0.12 ppbV, making the instrument well-suited for fast measurements of abundant VOCs in the continental boundary layer. The instrument detects and quantifies VOCs in locally confined plumes (&lt; 1 km), which improves our capability of characterizing emission sources and atmospheric processing within plumes. A deployment during the NASA 2013 DISCOVER-AQ mission generated high vertical- and horizontal-resolution in situ data of VOCs and ammonia for the validation of satellite retrievals and chemistry transport models.</p>

<p>There is a need to incorporate the effects of herbivore damage into future models of plant volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions at leaf or canopy levels. Short-term (a few seconds to 48 h) changes in shoot VOC emissions of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) in response to feeding by geometrid moths (Erannis defoliaria Hübner) were monitored online by proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PTR-TOF-MS). In addition, two separate field experiments were established to study the effects of long-term foliage herbivory (FH, 30-32 days of feeding by geometrids Agriopis aurantiaria (Clerck) and E. defoliaria in two consecutive years) and bark herbivory (BH, 21 days of feeding by the pine weevil (Hylobius abietis L.) in the first year) on shoot and rhizosphere VOC emissions of three silver birch genotypes (gt14, gt15 and Hausjärvi provenance). Online monitoring of VOCs emitted from foliage damaged by geometrid larvae showed rapid bursts of green leaf volatiles (GLVs) immediately after feeding activity, whereas terpenoid emissions had a tendency to gradually increase during the monitoring period. Long-term FH caused transient increases in total monoterpene (MT) emissions from gt14 and sesquiterpene (SQT) emissions from Hausjärvi provenance, mainly in the last experimental season. In the BH experiment, genotype effects were detected, with gt14 trees having significantly higher total MT emissions compared with other genotypes. Only MTs were detected in the rhizosphere samples of both field experiments, but their emission rates were unaffected by genotype or herbivory. The results suggest that silver birch shows a rapid VOC emission response to short-term foliage herbivory, whereas the response to long-term foliage herbivory and bark herbivory is less pronounced and variable at different time points.</p>

<div>Isoprene and 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (232-MBO) are the dominant</div> <div>biogenic \{VOCs\} released throughout the US, thus requiring simultaneous</div> <div>measurements. Recent measurements suggest the presence of isoprene</div> <div>in 232-MBO dominated ecosystems, however analytical difficulties</div> <div>make it problematic to detect both species independently. Based on</div> <div>a new chemical ionization scheme we use eddy covariance measurements</div> <div>to selectively measure fluxes of both species without analytical</div> <div>interference at the Manitou Experimental Forest (MEF) in Colorado.</div> <div>Our measurements show a concentration ratio between isoprene and</div> <div>232 \{MBO\} of 0.24 (ppbv/ppbv), and a flux ratio of 0.10 ([ppbv m/s]/[ppbv m/s]).</div> <div>Daytime average emission factors of isoprene and 232 \{MBO\} were</div> <div>1.4 +/- 0.3 and 16.0 +/- &nbsp;3.0 mg/m^2/h respectively.</div> <div>Both compounds exhibit light and temperature dependent fluxes. These</div> <div>findings suggest that isoprene is both locally produced and transported</div> <div>to the measurement site dominated by ponderosa pine. This makes it</div> <div>difficult to use \{MVK\} and \{MAC\} as tracers for estimating the</div> <div>photochemical age of isoprene chemistry at this site. Further our</div> <div>measurements suggest that isoprene can contribute to about 15% of</div> <div>the \{OH\} reactivity relative to 232 MBO.</div>

<p>Regulated and unregulated emissions from a 2-stroke and a 4-stroke scooter were characterized during a legislative driving cycle in a certified laboratory. Scooter exhaust was analyzed at the tailpipe, in a dilution tunnel, and partly collected in a mobile smog chamber for photochemical ageing. We present evidence that the photochemically aged exhaust from a 2-stroke and a 4-stroke scooter produces considerable amounts of secondary organic aerosol: from 1.5 to 22.0 mg/km, and from 5.5 to 6.6 mg/km, respectively. Tests were repeated after replacing the standard petrol and synthetic lube oil with an alkylate fuel (with low content of aromatic compounds) and ultra-clean lube oil (low ash forming potential). We observed emission reduction (with some exceptions) for several gaseous and particulate phase species, in particular for carbon monoxide (from 8% up to 38% and from 31% to 50%, for the 2-stroke and the 4-stroke scooters, respectively), particulate mass (from 32% up to 75% for the 2-stroke scooter), aromatic compounds (89% and 97% for the 2-stroke and the 4-stroke scooter, respectively), and secondary organic aerosol (from 87% to 100% and 99% for the 2-stroke and the 4-stroke scooters, respectively). We attribute the organic aerosol reduction to the absence of aromatics in the alkylate fuel.</p>

<p>Treatment of ventilation air from livestock production by biological airfiltration has emerged as a cost-effective technology for reduction of emissions of odorants and ammonia. Volatile sulfur compounds from livestock production include H2S and methanethiol, which have been identified as potentially important odorants that are not removed sufficiently by biological air filters. Light-expanded clay aggregates (Leca(&reg;)) is a biotrickling filter material that contains iron oxides, which can oxidize H2S and methanethiol, and thus potentially may help to remove these two compounds in biological air filters. This study used on-line PTR-MS measurements to investigate the performances of two Leca(&reg;) biotrickling filters (abraded Leca(&reg;) filter and untreated Leca(&reg;) filter) for removal of odorants and ammonia emitted from an experimental pig house. The results indicated that the abraded Leca(&reg;) filter had a similar or slightly better capability for removing odorants than the untreated Leca(&reg;) filter. This may be due to the enlargement of the surface area by the friction process. The volatile sulfur compounds, however, were not removed efficiently by either of the two Leca(&reg;) filters. Kinetic analysis of a ventilation controlled experiment during the first period indicated that Grau second-order kinetics could be applied to analyze the removal of sulfur compounds and other odorants, whereas the Stover-Kincannon model could only be applied to analyze the removal of odorants other than sulfur compounds, partly due to the limitation of mass transfer of these compounds in the biotrickling filters. In the last measurement period, a production of dimethyl disulfide and dimethyltrisulfide coinciding with strongly enhanced removal of methanethiol was observed for the untreated filter. This was assumed to be enhanced by an incidence of low local air velocity in the filter and indicated involvement of iron-catalyzed reactions in the removal of sulfur compounds.</p>

<p>Coffees from different origins were roasted to different roast degrees and along varying time temperature roasting profiles. The formation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during roasting was analyzed on-line by proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass-spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS). Coffee samples were Coffea arabica from Colombia, Guatemala (Antigua La Ceiba), Ethiopia (Yirga Cheffe, Djimmah) and Coffea canephora var. robusta from Indonesia (Malangsari). The roasting profiles ranged from high temperature short time (HTST) to low temperature long time (LTLT) roasting, and from medium to dark roast degree. The release dynamics of the on-line monitored VOCs differed for the different coffees and showed a strong modulation with the time&ndash;temperature roasting profile. While for Guatemalan coffee the formation of VOCs started relatively early in the roasting process, the VOC formation started much later in the case of Yirga Cheffe and Malangsari. Off-line analysis of the coffee brew augmented the measurements. These included headspace solid phase micro extraction gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS SPME GC/MS), content of total solids, chlorogenic acids, caffeine, total polyphenols (Folin Ciocalteu), organic acids (ion chromatography), titratable acidity and pH. Some general trends, irrespective of the coffee origin, were observed, such as an increase in pH when going from an HTST to an LTLT profile or from a medium to dark roast degree. Furthermore, a decrease of total headspace intensity was observed from an HTST to an LTLT roasting profile. In general, the changes of the time temperature roasting profiles and/or the roast degree influenced the intensity of the respective coffee constituents as well as their relative composition differently for different coffee origins.</p>

<p>Atmospheric amides have primary and secondary sources and are present in ambient air at low pptv levels. To better assess the fate of amides in the atmosphere, the room temperature (298 &plusmn; 3 K) rate coefficients of five different amides with OH radicals were determined in a 1 m(3) smog chamber using online proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). Formamide, the simplest amide, has a rate coefficient of (4.44 &plusmn; 0.46) &times; 10(-12) cm(3) molec(-1) s(-1) against OH, translating to an atmospheric lifetime of &sim;1 day. N-methylformamide, N-methylacetamide and propanamide, alkyl versions of formamide, have rate coefficients of (10.1 &plusmn; 0.6) &times; 10(-12), (5.42 &plusmn; 0.19) &times; 10(-12), and (1.78 &plusmn; 0.43) &times; 10(-12) cm(3) molec(-1) s(-1), respectively. Acetamide was also investigated, but due to its slow oxidation kinetics, we report a range of (0.4-1.1) &times; 10(-12) cm(3) molec(-1) s(-1) for its rate coefficient with OH radicals. Oxidation products were monitored and quantified and their time traces were fitted using a simple kinetic box model. To further probe the mechanism, ab initio calculations are used to identify the initial radical products of the amide reactions with OH. Our results indicate that N-H abstractions are negligible in all cases, in contrast to what is predicted by structure-activity relationships. Instead, the reactions proceed via C-H abstraction from alkyl groups and from formyl C(O)-H bonds when available. The latter process leads to radicals that can readily react with O2 to form isocyanates, explaining the detection of toxic compounds such as isocyanic acid (HNCO) and methyl isocyanate (CH3NCO). These contaminants of significant interest are primary oxidation products in the photochemical oxidation of formamide and N-methylformamide, respectively.</p>

<p>Organic, biodynamic and conventional purple grape juices (PGJ; n = 79) produced in Brazil and Europe were characterized by volatile organic compounds (m/z 20-160) measured by proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS), and classification models were built using supervised statistical techniques.k-Nearest neighbours and soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA) models discriminated adequately the Brazilian from European PGJ (overall efficiency of 81% and 87%, respectively). Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA) classified 100% European and 96% Brazilian PGJ. Similarly, when samples were grouped as either conventional or organic/biodynamic, the PLSDA model classified 81% conventional and 83% organic/biodynamic juices. Intraregional PLSDA models (juices produced in the same region&nbsp;-&nbsp;either Europe or Brazil) were developed and were deemed accurate in discriminating Brazilian organic from conventional PGJ (81% efficiency), as well as European conventional from organic/biodynamic PGJ (94% efficiency).PGJ from Brazil and Europe, as well as conventional and organic/biodynamic PGJ, were distinguished with high efficiency, but no statistical model was able to differentiate organic and biodynamic grape juices. These data support the hypothesis that no clear distinction between organic and biodynamic grape juices can be made with respect to volatile organic compounds. &copy; 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.</p>

<p>The rapid expansion in the number and use of new psychoactive substances presents a significant analytical challenge because highly sensitive instrumentation capable of detecting a broad range of chemical compounds in real-time with a low rate of false positives is required. A Selective Reagent Ionisation-Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry (SRI-ToF-MS) instrument is capable of meeting all of these requirements. With its high mass resolution (up to m/Δm of 8000), the application of variations in reduced electric field strength (E/N) and use of different reagent ions, the ambiguity of a nominal (monoisotopic) m/z is reduced and hence the identification of chemicals in a complex chemical environment with a high level of confidence is enabled. In this study we report the use of a SRI-ToF-MS instrument to investigate the reactions of H3O(+), O2 (+), NO(+) and Kr(+) with 10 readily available (at the time of purchase) new psychoactive substances, namely 4-fluoroamphetamine, methiopropamine, ethcathinone, 4-methylethcathinone, N-ethylbuphedrone, ethylphenidate, 5-MeO-DALT, dimethocaine, 5-(2-aminopropyl)benzofuran and nitracaine. In particular, the dependence of product ion branching ratios on the reduced electric field strength for all reagent ions was investigated and is reported here. The results reported represent a significant amount of new data which will be of use for the development of drug detection techniques suitable for real world scenarios.</p>

<p>Ralstonia solanacearum (Rs) and Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus (Cms) are the bacterial causal agents of potato brown and ring rot, respectively, and are included in the A2 list of quarantine pathogens in Europe. Identification by GC-MS analysis of volatile organic compounds from Rs or Cms cultured on different nutrient media was performed. GC-MS and PTR-MS analysis were carried out also on unwounded potato tubers infected with the same pathogens. Infected tubers were produced by experimental inoculations of the plants. In in vitro experiments, Rs or Cms emitted volatile compounds, part of which were specific disease markers of potato (2-propanol and 3-methylbutanoic acid), mainly originating from bacterial metabolism (i.e., amino acid degradation, carbohydrate and fatty acid oxidation). In potato tubers, pathogen metabolism modified the volatile compound pattern emitted from healthy samples. Both bacteria seem to accelerate metabolic processes ongoing in potatoes and, in the case of Rs, disease markers (1-hepten-3-ol, 3,6-dimethyl-3-octanone, 3-ethyl-3-methylpentane, 1-chloroctane, and benzothiazole) were identified.</p>