Plasma pencil atmospheric mass spectrometry detection of positive ions from micronutrients emitted from surfaces.

Analysis and detection of micronutrients is important for the reduction of the global burden of malnutrition-related disease. A relatively new technique, plasma pencil atmospheric mass spectrometry (PPAMS) was applied in a comprehensive evaluation for rapid, simultaneous detection of the key micronutrients zinc, iron, folate, vitamin A, and iodine. PPAMS was performed through the coupling of a low-temperature plasma pencil to an atmospheric mass spectrometer. The effectiveness of the PPAMS system was demonstrated through the generation of characteristic mass spectra and tandem mass spectra on neat micronutrient powders suspended on double-sided tape. The analytical performance and ability to qualitatively separate out the nutrients from a complex biological solution and each other was then assessed through the application of PPAMS on a sample matrix of micronutrients in porcine plasma in which nutrient concentration is varied from high blood level concentrations (HBLCs) to low blood level concentrations (LBLCs). A multivariate analysis method, principal component analysis (PCA), was then used to qualitatively separate the fragments obtained by nutrient type. The resulting plots of PCA scores of the positive-ion spectra from each mixed sample showed excellent separation of HBLCs and LBLCs of single nutrients at the 95% confidence level (Wagner et al. Langmuir 2001, 17, 4649-4660). The associated plots of PCA loadings showed that key loadings could be attributed to the expected micronutrient fragments. The PPAMS technique was successfully demonstrated and compared with traditional MS techniques: time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Separation of the nutrients at concentrations relevant for human blood-based nutrient detection was possible by both ESI-MS and PPAMS. However, only PPAMS could detect the nutrients at physiological concentrations from porcine plasma. ToF-SIMS could detect the nutrients from plasma solution but required 5 to 1000-times higher concentrations of folate, vitamin A, and iodine to achieve adequate separation of the micronutrients by PCA.