title: Non-target screening of Allura Red AC photodegradation products in a beverage through ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid triple quadrupole/linear ion trap mass spectrometry.
abstract: The study deals with the identification of the degradation products formed by simulated sunlight photoirradiation in a commercial beverage that contains Allura Red AC dye. An UHPLC-MS/MS method, that makes use of hybrid triple quadrupole/linear ion trap, was developed. In the identification step the software tool information dependent acquisition (IDA) was used to automatically obtain information about the species present and to build a multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) method with the MS/MS fragmentation pattern of the species considered. The results indicate that the identified degradation products are formed from side-reactions and/or interactions among the dye and other ingredients present in the beverage (ascorbic acid, citric acid, sucrose, aromas, strawberry juice, and extract of chamomile flowers). The presence of aromatic amine or amide functionalities in the chemical structures proposed for the degradation products might suggest potential hazards to consumer health.
authors.affiliation: University of Piemonte Orientale, Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica (DISIT), Viale T. Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy. fabio.gosetti@mfn.unipmn.it
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gosetti
authors.forename: Ugo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Chiuminatto
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mazzucco
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Calabrese
authors.forename: Maria Carla
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gennaro
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marengo
mesh_terms: D001391:Azo Compounds / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D001628:Beverages / Q000032:analysis* / Q000528:radiation effects; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D005505:Food Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects; D059022:Food Safety; D010782:Photolysis; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001391:Azo Compounds; D005505:Food Coloring Agents; C005915:Allura Red AC Dye