Screening and Determination of Potential Risk Substances Based on Liquid Chromatography-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

Nontargeted analysis is a useful strategy for the discovery of unknown risk compounds. However, how to rapidly screen and determine risk substances is still a big challenge. In this study based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), a strategy for the rapid screening and determination of risk substances was established. First, the distribution characteristic of every feature from HRMS in all samples was studied by the mean deviation ratio (MDR) calculation. Features with MDR more than 20 were thought to be the first match of obvious suspected substances. Second, the structure characteristics of specific classes of substances which were summarized from our in-house risk substance (IHRS) database with about 500 different additives and drugs were used to rapidly screen the unknown suspected substances with specific structure classes. To further identify the above suspected risk substances, IHRS retrieval was carried out. For the unknown features not included in IHRS database, the exclusion of endogenous substances and multiple network databases searching were first performed, and the remaining substances had to be identified with comprehensive methods. To test the usefulness of the established screening and identification method, 42 meat samples were analyzed and 6 risk substances were discovered and identified, with the usefulness of the method confirmed.