Abstract:

A method based on ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/electrostatic field orbitrap mass spectrometry was developed for the rapid determination of 13 β-blockers in health foods. The MS fragmentation pathways of the analytes were subsequently investigated. The optimal MS conditions, extraction solvents, mobile phases, and matrix effects were evaluated in detail. The samples were extracted with methanol, filtered by high-speed centrifugation and ultrasonic treatment, and then separated on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) with gradient elution using acetonitrile and 0.1% (v/v) formic acid aqueous solution as mobile phases. MS analysis was conducted in positive-ion mode, and the data were collected using full mass and data-dependent MS² scans (Full MS/dd-MS²). The efficient separation and high-precision primary and secondary scanning of the 13 β-blockers in health foods were realized within 10 min, and accurate mass numbers and fragment-ion information were obtained. The methodological validation showed good linear relationships in the range of 0.5-100 μg/L, with correlation coefficients (r)≥0.9912. The limits of detection ranged from 1 to 10 μg/kg. When the standard substances were added to the blank sample in the amount of 10-200 μg/kg, the recoveries were in the range of 75.3%-108.4%, and the relative standard deviations ranged from 0.9% to 10.0% (n=6). The method was used to screen 30 batches of commercially available health foods, and none of the 13 β-blockers was detected. The proposed method is fast, accurate, and sensitive, and can be used for the rapid determination of β-blockers in health foods.

Key words: ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/electrostatic field orbitrap mass spectrometry, β-blockers, health foods