Validation and uncertainty estimation of a multiresidue method for pharmaceuticals in surface and treated waters by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

The estimation of measurement uncertainty associated with quantitative results is essential to assure the reliability of analytical methods and mandatory when a laboratory implements ISO standard 17025. In this work, a quantitative multi-residue method based on solid-phase extraction (SPE) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry detection (LC-MS/MS) has been developed and validated for the analysis of 53 pharmaceuticals (analgesics, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, lipid regulating agents, cholesterol lowering stating agents, gastric drugs, X-ray, and miscellaneous compounds such as sildenafil, prednisone, triclosan, chlorhexidine and miconazole) in surface and drinking waters. A full validation of the method, according to ISO standard 17025 procedure, was performed. Linearity (0.01-250 ng/L range), intra-day precision (3-19%RSD in surface water and 2-19%RSD in drinking water) and inter-day precision (3-16%RSD in surface water and 1-18%RSD in drinking water), matrix effects (low matrix effects were observed for 50% of compounds in both matrices), limits of quantification (0.2-40 ng/L in surface water and 0.2-30 ng/L in drinking water) were calculated. The recoveries at 100 ng/L were >80% for 72% and 79% of the target compounds in surface and drinking waters, respectively. The information obtained from the full method validation has been used to estimate the expanded uncertainty and the uncertainties contributions of the different individual steps of the method for the determination of pharmaceuticals at trace levels in waters. Expanded relative uncertainties ranged from 6% to 23% being the uncertainty associated with reproducibility the main contribution.

Trace determination of cannabinoids and opiates in wastewater and surface waters by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A fast and reliable method using solid-phase extraction and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) has been developed for the simultaneous detection, identification and quantification of several central nervous system depressor drugs of abuse such as cannabinoids (Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol, THC) and opiates (morphine, codeine, heroin, methadone, fentanyl) and their metabolites in water samples. Compounds were extracted from water by using Oasis HLB cartridges. After SPE enrichment, the selected depressor drugs, under UPLC optimized conditions, were separated in less than 8 min. Electrospray (ESI) tandem MS in positive ion mode and selected reaction monitoring was used for quantification. ESI-MS/MS conditions such as capillary and cone voltages, source and desolvation temperatures and cone and desolvation gas flow rates have been optimized and MS and MS/MS spectra of the studied compounds were obtained. At the working conditions four identification points were obtained as required by European Union guidelines for analysis by LC-MS/MS. Quality parameters (intra-day and inter-day precisions) for each analyte have been established in three different matrixes (purified, surface and waste waters). Recoveries were generally higher than 70% and instrumental quantification limits and limits of quantification were in the low pg and ng/l range, respectively. Finally, the method has been applied to the analysis of influent and effluents wastewaters and natural water samples from Catalonia (NE Spain) where the presence of several opiates such as morphine, codeine, norcodeine 2-ethylene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine and methadone and cannnabinoids such as THC and 11-nor-carboxy-Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol has been demonstrated.

Field-flow fractionation as analytical technique for the characterization of dry yeast: correlation with wine fermentation activity.

Important oenological properties of wine depend on the winemaking yeast used in the fermentation process. There is considerable controversy about the quality of yeast, and a simple and cheap analytical methodology for quality control of yeast is needed. Gravitational field flow fractionation (GFFF) was used to characterize several commercial active dry wine yeasts from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces bayanus and to assess the quality of the raw material before use. Laboratory-scale fermentations were performed using two different S. cerevisiae strains as inocula, and GFFF was used to follow the behavior of yeast cells during alcoholic fermentation. The viable/nonviable cell ratio was obtained by flow cytometry (FC) using propidium iodide as fluorescent dye. In each experiment, the amount of dry wine yeast to be used was calculated in order to provide the same quantity of viable cells. Kinetic studies of the fermentation process were performed controlling the density of the must, from 1.071 to 0.989 (20/20 density), and the total residual sugars, from 170 to 3 g/L. During the wine fermentation process, differences in the peak profiles obtained by GFFF between the two types of commercial yeasts that can be related with the unlike cell growth were observed. Moreover, the strains showed different fermentation kinetic profiles that could be correlated with the corresponding fractograms monitored by GFFF. These results allow optimism that sedimentation FFF techniques could be successfully used for quality assessment of the raw material and to predict yeast behavior during yeast-based bioprocesses such as wine production.