title: Stability considerations of aspartame in the direct analysis of artificial sweeteners in water samples using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS).
abstract: A HPLC-MS/MS method is presented for the simultaneous determination of frequently used artificial sweeteners (ASs) and the main metabolite of aspartame (ASP), diketopiperazine (DKP), in environmental water samples using the direct-injection (DI) technique, thereby achieving limits of quantification (LOQ) of 10 ng L(-1). For a reliable quantification of ASP pH should be adjusted to 4.3 to prevent formation of the metabolite. Acesulfame (ACE), saccharin (SAC), cyclamate (CYC) and sucralose (SUC) were ubiquitously found in water samples. Highest concentrations up to 61 μg L(-1) of ACE were found in wastewater effluents, followed by surface water with concentrations up to 7 μg L(-1), lakes up to 600 ng L(-1) and groundwater and tap water up to 70 ng L(-1). The metabolite DKP was only detected in wastewater up to 200 ng L(-1) and at low detection frequencies.
authors.affiliation: Water and Soil Protection Laboratory, Environmental Organic Chemistry Group, Office of Water and Waste, Schermenweg 11, Bern, Switzerland. jean-daniel.berset@bve.be.ch
authors.forename: Jean-Daniel
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Berset
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ochsenbein
mesh_terms: D001218:Aspartame / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004355:Drug Stability; D060587:Groundwater / Q000737:chemistry; D007700:Kinetics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D013549:Sweetening Agents; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014867:Water; D001218:Aspartame