A graphene tip coupled with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of four synthetic adulterants in slimming supplements

Food Chem. 2017 Jun 1:224:329-334. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.12.091. Epub 2016 Dec 28.

Abstract

Slimming supplements were popularly sold online driven by the increasement of obesity and the development of social networking platform. However, events of drug abuse in slimming supplements were also frequently reported. In this study, a graphene tip solid-phase extraction (Gtip SPE) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was established for determining fenfluramine, phenolphthalein, bumetanide, and sibutramine in slimming supplements. It was validated in terms of linearity (0.9985-0.9995), LOD (1.8ngmL-1), LOQ (5.6ngmL-1), intra-day precision (<5.1%), inter-day precision (<7.3%), and recovery (82.9-95.2%). Sibutramine is the most commonly used drug, which was detected in Bihais, Galong, and Aolist, with content 12.4, 3.6, 20.3mgg-1, respectively. Phenolphthalein was also found with content lower than 5.2mgg-1. The successful application of Gtip SPE and UPLC-MS/MS method indicated its advantage in analyzing low level of contaminates resulted from violation of regulation.

Keywords: Graphene; Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry; Slimming supplement; Solid-phase extraction; Synthetic adulterant.

MeSH terms

  • Appetite Depressants / analysis*
  • Bumetanide / analysis
  • Chromatography, Liquid*
  • Cyclobutanes / analysis
  • Dietary Supplements / analysis*
  • Fenfluramine / analysis
  • Graphite / chemistry*
  • Limit of Detection
  • Phenolphthalein / analysis
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Solid Phase Extraction
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry*

Substances

  • Appetite Depressants
  • Cyclobutanes
  • Bumetanide
  • Fenfluramine
  • Phenolphthalein
  • Graphite
  • sibutramine