Rapid tomato volatile profiling by using proton-transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS)
Brian Farneti1, Simona M Cristescu, Guglielmo Costa
1Horticultural Supply Chains Group, Wageningen Univ., Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands. brian.farneti@gmail.com
Journal of Food Science
|April 19, 2012
Summary
Proton-Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) offers a sensitive method for analyzing tomato flavor volatiles. This technique effectively distinguishes between tomato varieties and monitors flavor changes during storage.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Food Science
Background:
- Assessing fruit flavor quality is crucial for breeding programs, requiring advanced analytical tools.
- Flavor is determined by complex multigenic traits and volatile organic compounds.
- Current methods may lack the speed and sensitivity needed for efficient breeding selection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate Proton-Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) as a rapid, sensitive method for analyzing tomato flavor volatiles.
- To determine if PTR-MS can differentiate between tomato varieties based on their aromatic profiles.
- To assess PTR-MS's capability in monitoring flavor changes during postharvest ripening and storage.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of volatiles from 14 tomato varieties using two solvent-free headspace techniques: Solid-Phase Microextraction/Gas Chromatography-MS and PTR-MS.
- Utilized multivariate statistical analyses, including Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis, on PTR-MS data.
- Monitored volatile emissions during postharvest ripening and storage.
Main Results:
- PTR-MS demonstrated high sensitivity in detecting key tomato aroma compounds like hexanal, methanol, and acetaldehyde.
- Multivariate analysis of PTR-MS data enabled clear separation and fingerprinting of different tomato types (round truss, cocktail, cherry).
- PTR-MS successfully tracked alterations in volatile profiles throughout postharvest storage and ripening.
Conclusions:
- PTR-MS is a suitable and sensitive analytical tool for tomato flavor quality control in breeding.
- The technique provides effective differentiation between tomato varieties based on volatile emission profiles.
- PTR-MS can be employed to monitor dynamic changes in flavor volatiles during fruit storage and ripening.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Tandem mass spectrometry is a technique that uses multiple mass analyzers in series to obtain a higher selectivity and reduce chemical noise during analyte detection. Instruments with multiple analyzers separated by an interaction cell enable secondary fragmentation and selected study of the fragment ions.Secondary fragmentations occur in the interaction cell and can be induced by various factors. Fragmentation induced by collision with inert gases, such as N2, Ar, He, etc., is called...
01:33Peptide Identification Using Tandem Mass Spectrometry
Tandem mass spectrometry, also known as MS/MS or MS2, is an analytical technique that employs two mass analyzers. Essentially it is a series of mass spectrometers that helps isolate a particular biomolecule and then helps study its chemical properties.
This technique helps gather information regarding the protein from which the peptide was obtained and to study the peptides’ amino acid sequence. Identifying peptides from a complex mixture is an important component of the growing field of...
This technique helps gather information regarding the protein from which the peptide was obtained and to study the peptides’ amino acid sequence. Identifying peptides from a complex mixture is an important component of the growing field of...
01:15High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS)
The resolution of a mass spectrometer depends on the efficiency of separating ions with different ion masses. The mass of an atom is approximated to the sum of the masses of protons and neutrons inside, considering the masses of protons and neutrons as equal. However, the masses of the proton (1.6726 × 10−24 g) and neutron (1.6749 × 10−24 g) are not truly equal. There is a minor error in the expression of atomic masses relative to the simplest atom of hydrogen. For example, the mass of helium...
01:20¹³C NMR: Distortionless Enhancement by Polarization Transfer (DEPT)
When proton-coupled carbon-13 spectra are simplified by a broadband proton decoupling technique, structural information about the coupled protons is lost. Distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer (DEPT) is a technique that provides information on the number of hydrogens attached to each carbon in a molecule. While the DEPT experiment utilizes complex pulse sequences, the pulse delay and flip angle are specifically manipulated. The resulting signals have different phases depending on...
01:21Mass Spectrometry: Complex Analysis
Mass spectrometry is an important technique for the identification of pure compounds. However, it has some limitations for the analysis of complex mixtures, often due to excessive fragmentation making the spectrum too complicated to decipher. Mass spectrometry can be combined with suitable separation methods in sequence, forming hyphenated methods, which are useful in the analysis of complex mixtures.
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...
GC–MS is a powerful hyphenated method commonly used in forensics and environmental...
01:19MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry
Mass spectrometry is a powerful characterization technique that can identify and separate a wide variety of compounds ranging from chemical to biological entities, based on their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z). The instruments that allow this detection, known as mass spectrometers, have three components: an ion source, a mass analyzer, and a detector. These spectrometers differ based on the nature of their ion source and analyzers.Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) is a commonly...