Real-time flavor analysis: optimization of a proton-transfer-mass spectrometer and comparison with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometer with an MS-nose interface.

Two techniques are recognized for the real-time analysis of flavors during eating and drinking, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI-MS), and proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). APCI-MS was developed for the analysis of flavors and fragrances, whereas PTR-MS was originally developed and optimized for the analysis of atmospheric pollutants. Here, the suitability of the two techniques for real-time flavor analysis is compared, using a varied range of common flavor compounds. An Ionicon PTR-MS was first optimized and then its performance critically compared with that of APCI-MS. Performance was gauged using the capacity for soft ionization, dynamic linear range, and limit of detection. Optimization of the PTR-MS increased the average sensitivity by a factor of more than 3. However, even with this increase in sensitivity, the Limit of Detection was typically 10 times higher and the Dynamic Linear Range ten times narrower than that of the APCI-MS.