[Identification of odorous components in drinking water using headspace-gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass...

The odorous compounds in drinking water were identified and analyzed by using headspace-gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HS-GC-TOF-MS) combined with differential analysis software. The number of compounds were reduced by step-by-step screening of mass spectrometry data and statistical analysis of T-test and fold change wherein significant differences in compounds were observed. Further, the structural analysis method was used which revealed that the odorous component present in drinking water is acetaldehyde. The factors such as heating time, heating temperature, sample size, and salt content were optimized by orthogonal test. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were 0.0033 and 0.010 mg/L, respectively. The linear ranges were 0.010 to 0.500 mg/L, and the correlation coefficient was 0.997. Conclusively, the actual water samples were tested, the compounds producing odor were analyzed, and the reasonable suggestions for their production and subsequent processing technology were put forward. The method presented in this study is simple, rapid, sensitive, and is suitable for the identification and analysis of odorous components present in drinking water.