Gas Chromatographic Method for Determination of Mass Concentration of Acrolein in Grain and Fruit Distillates

Introduction. Acrolein is one of the most widespread toxicants. Under conditions of chronic intoxication, it has a general irritant, allergenic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, embryotoxic effect on the human body. Acrolein can be found in alcoholic beverages, some food products, including fats and frying oils. A review of scientific literature revealed significant knowledge gaps about the acrolein content in grain and fruit distillates, which is explained by the insufficient development of reliable analytical methods for its determination. The content of acrolein in grain and fruit distillates is not regulated by regulatory documents, which served as a prerequisite for conducting this study.

Objective of the study. To develop an express method for the qualitative and quantitative determination of acrolein in grain and fruit distillates using the gas chromatography method.

Objects and methods of the study. The objects of the study were model and calibration solutions of acrolein of 20 samples of fruit and grain distillates. Analytical studies were performed on a gas chromatograph Agilent 6850 with flame ionization detection. ChemStation A.10.02 software was used to process the measurements.

Results and discussion. In the study, optimal chromatography modes were selected that ensure express determination of acrolein content in the mass concentration range of 0.3–10 mg/dm3 in grain and fruit distillates without preliminary sample preparation in 4–5 min. The stability of the „retention time“ and „peak area“ parameters for acrolein was established. It was experimentally confirmed that the calibration graph for acrolein has a linear dependence in the mass concentration range of 0.3–10 mg/dm3 . A correlation dependence between the sample concentration and the detector response was found, the correlation coefficient R2 is not less than 0.99. As a result of studies, a method for the qualitative and quantitative determination of acrolein in grain and fruit distillates was developed. The limits of relative error of the developed method with a confidence of P = 0.95 in the range of mass concentrations from 0.3 to 10 mg/dm3 are less than 28 %.

Conclusions. A new methodological approach to determining acrolein in grain and fruit distillates based on the gas chromatography method is proposed. The conducted research is the basis for the development of a metrologically certified method for the qualitative and quantitative determination of acrolein in alcoholic beverages and the development of reference materials to improve the measurement accuracy. The development of this research area will provide new experimental data on the chemical composition of alcoholic beverages and will improve the quality and safety of alcoholic beverages.

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