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Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Quantitative Detection of Trace Explosive Vapors by Programmed Temperature Desorption Gas Chromatography-Electron Capture Detector
Published on: July 25, 2014
Fast detection of coliform bacteria by means of gas chromatography-differential mobility spectrometry
Lena Ganda Saptalena1, Andriy Kuklya2, Ursula Telgheder3,4
1Faculty of Chemistry, Instrumental Analytical Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, 45141, Essen, Germany. lenasaptalena@gmail.com.
Abstract:
In this study, we demonstrate that the combination of an enzymatic method (based on Colilert-18 medium) and gas chromatography-differential mobility spectrometry (GC-DMS) can reduce the time required for detection of coliform bacteria (including Escherichia coli) from 18 to 2.5 h. The presented method includes the incubation (~2.5 h) of the sample containing coliform bacteria in Colilert-18 medium. The incubation time of 2.5 h is required for the activation of the β-galactosidase enzyme. Produced during the incubation biomarker o-nitrophenol (ONP) can be detected by means of GC-DMS within just 200 s. The detection limit for ONP was 45 ng (on-column). The method developed in this work provides significantly shorter analysis time compared with standard methods, and can be potentially adapted to the field conditions. Therefore, this method is a promising tool for an early detection of coliform bacteria (including E. coli). Graphical Abstract Fast detection of coliform bacteria by means of GC-DMS.
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