60-Second Screening of Foods Using the Agilent QuickProbe GC/MS System

Significance of 60-Second Food Screening

The rapid identification of contaminants, adulterants, and characteristic compounds in food and agricultural products is critical for quality control, safety assessment, and regulatory compliance. Traditional GC/MS workflows often require time-consuming sample preparation steps such as QuEChERS or liquid extraction. The Agilent QuickProbe GC/MS system streamlines this process by enabling direct analysis of non-extracted foods, reducing analysis time to around 60 seconds per sample and accelerating decision-making in routine screening.

Objectives and Study Overview

This application note evaluates the performance of the Agilent QuickProbe direct insertion device coupled to a single-quadrupole GC/MS system for high-throughput screening of various food matrices without prior extraction. Key goals include demonstrating the system’s ability to differentiate sample types, identify target analytes with reliable library matches, and establish a simplified protocol for direct solid, liquid, and powdered samples.

Methodology and Instrumentation

An Agilent 5977B single quadrupole mass spectrometer was interfaced with an Agilent 7890B GC and the QuickProbe control unit (G3971A). The QuickProbe inlet features a fritted specialty liner (5190-5104) and accepts glass probes (round tip 5190-5118, pocket tip 5190-5113) mounted in a probe holder (G3971-60200). Helium served as the carrier gas. The GC column configuration comprised:

• 1.5 m × 0.25 mm, 0.1 µm DB-1HT column
• 0.7 m × 0.18 mm, 0.18 µm DB1-MS column as a restrictor

The inlet was maintained at 250 °C in split mode (~1:10). The temperature program began at 35 °C (6 s hold), ramped at 4 °C/s to 325 °C, and held briefly. Transfer line was set to 280 °C. Mass spectrometry parameters included 280 °C ion source, 150 °C quadrupole, EI ionization, scan range m/z 38–550 at ~9.7 scans/s, EMV gain factor 10, and no solvent delay. MassHunter Workstation Acquisition and Unknowns Analysis software was used, with a minimum NIST match factor of 60.

Results and Discussion

The QuickProbe GC/MS system produced clear chromatographic profiles for diverse food samples in under one minute per run. Key findings include:

• Semen­seed oil: high-confidence identification of sesamin (match score 96.6) alongside palmitic and stearic acids.
• Fish oil: detection of cholesterol (87) and fatty acids such as palmitic and octadecanoic acids.
• Vegetable oil (cottonseed): characterization of oxidation marker 2,4-decadienal (95.5), linoleic acid, tocopherols, sterols, and squalene.
• California Bay Laurel leaf: direct screening of plant material yielded monoterpene umbellunone (96) and methyl eugenol (95.4), distinguishing it from Laurus nobilis.
• Spice rub mix: identification of piperine (98), n-isobutyl-2,4-decadienamide (78), thymol, and vitamin E (81).

The direct insertion approach proved robust for solids, powders, and liquids, eliminating extraction and cleanup while preserving analytical specificity via spectral deconvolution and library matching.

Benefits and Practical Applications

The Agilent QuickProbe GC/MS system offers:

• Significant time savings by bypassing extraction and cleanup.
• High throughput screening suitable for QA/QC laboratories and field deployment.
• Broad applicability to oils, botanicals, spices, beverages, and plant materials.
• Reliable compound identification through established spectral libraries.
• Minimal training requirements and streamlined sample handling using disposable probes.

This platform supports rapid suspect screening, adulteration detection, authenticity testing, and routine quality monitoring.

Future Trends and Applications

Advancements likely to enhance direct sampling GC/MS include:

• Integration with high-resolution mass spectrometry for improved selectivity and exact mass determination.
• Automated probe handling and robotics to further increase throughput.
• Expanded library databases incorporating emerging contaminants and natural product chemotypes.
• Coupling with chemometric and machine-learning tools for automated pattern recognition and classification.
• Adaptation to additional sample classes such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and forensic materials.

Conclusion

The Agilent QuickProbe GC/MS system enables rapid, direct screening of non-extracted food and plant materials in approximately 60 seconds per sample. By combining a specialized inlet liner, disposable glass probes, and fast temperature programming, the method achieves clear chromatographic separation and reliable compound identification without traditional sample preparation. This approach streamlines laboratory workflows, enhances throughput, and supports prompt decision-making in food safety and quality assurance.

Reference

• Wang M. et al. Application of GC/Q-TOFQ Combined with Advanced Data Mining and Chemometric Tools in the Characterization and Quality Control of Bay Leaves. Planta Med. 2018 Sep;84(14):1045–1054. doi:10.1055/a-0585-5987.