Microwave-Assisted Extraction Coupled with Mass Spectrometry for Determining Five Volatile Compounds from Soy Sauces

Area of Science:

• Food Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Soy sauce is a widely consumed fermented condiment with significant cultural importance.
• Potential presence of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in soy sauce poses food safety concerns.
• Need for sensitive and reliable analytical methods to quantify these contaminants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a method for determining five specific VOCs (cyclohexane, benzene, toluene, chlorobenzene, styrene) in soy sauce.
• To optimize key parameters influencing extraction efficiency and accuracy.
• To assess the method's reliability, sensitivity, and applicability for trace analysis.

Main Methods:

• Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) for sample preparation.
• Gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) for compound identification and quantification.
• Method validation including linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantitation (LOQ).

Main Results:

• High recoveries for spiked analytes (80.86%–105.71%) indicate method accuracy.
• Low relative standard deviations (intraday ≤12.1%, interday ≤12.5%) demonstrate good precision.
• Sensitive detection limits (LOD: 0.25–1.00 ng/mL, LOQ: 0.50–2.00 ng/mL) achieved for the target VOCs.

Conclusions:

• The developed MAE-GC-MS/MS method is simple, reliable, and sensitive for determining trace levels of five harmful VOCs in soy sauce.
• This analytical approach contributes to ensuring the safety and quality of soy sauce.
• The optimized method provides a valuable tool for food safety monitoring and regulatory compliance.