Determination of volatile compounds in yellow curry paste using from-two-to-one dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Abstract

In this work, an approach to allow improved analysis with one-dimensional GC-MS (1D GC-MS) was established and demonstrated for analysis of a pool of yellow curry paste samples. The approach involved initial application of comprehensive heart cut two-dimensional GC-MS (CH/C 2D GC-MS) to obtain a full volatile profile by comparing the experimental mass spectrum and retention index of each compound with the mass spectra and retention indices of standard compounds from a database. The obtained volatile profile was then used to generate a selected ion monitoring (SIM) method, which was then applied with 1D GC-MS using a SIM mode. This approach was further applied for improved analysis of several yellow curry paste samples. The peak capacity was approximated as 1207 for 1D GC-MS with a SIM mode, and 2080 for CH/C 2D GC-MS. However, the lower peak capacity from 1D GC-MS was sufficient for analysis of yellow curry paste samples. The analysis times and repeatability could also be expected to be better with less complicated experimental setup of the 1D GC-MS with a SIM mode analysis. The established approach provided a simple and effective approach for the analysis of complex samples in the future.