Abstract:

To solve the problems of complexity of sample matrix and interference, gas chromatography couple with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was utilized to set up a method for the determination of dimethyl fumarate in foods. Sample pretreatment prior to the injection into the instrument was achieved through extraction with acetonitrile extraction and subsequent cleanup on C18 column. The collision induced dissociation (CID) voltage selected was 15 V. The method showed good linearity over the range of 0.05 to 10.00 mg/L (R 2= 0.9998), with a limit of detection (LOQ) of 0.045 mg/L. The external standard method was used for quantification. The spike recoveries of dimethyl fumarate at spike levels of 0.05, 0.50 and 1.00 mg/kg was between 87% and 108%, with a relative standard deviation ranging from 2.77% to 8.70%. Compared with GC and GC-MS methods, the proposed GC-MS/MS method has the benefits of less time consumption and interference and higher sensitivity, and is more suitable for the analysis of foods samples in batches.

Key words: GC-MS/MS, dimethyl fumarate, solid-phase extraction