title: Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis of sixteen red beverages containing carminic acid: identification of degradation products by using principal component analysis/discriminant analysis.
abstract: The study investigates the sunlight photodegradation process of carminic acid, a natural red colourant used in beverages. For this purpose, both carminic acid aqueous standard solutions and sixteen different commercial beverages, ten containing carminic acid and six containing E120 dye, were subjected to photoirradiation. The results show different patterns of degradation, not only between the standard solutions and the beverages, but also from beverage to beverage. Due to the different beverage recipes, unpredictable reactions take place between the dye and the other ingredients. To identify the dye degradation products in a very complex scenario, a methodology was used, based on the combined use of principal component analysis with discriminant analysis and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem high resolution mass spectrometry. The methodology is unaffected by beverage composition and allows the degradation products of carminic acid dye to be identified for each beverage.
authors.affiliation: University of Piemonte Orientale, Department of Science and Technological Innovation, viale T. Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy. Electronic address: fabio.gosetti@unipmn.it.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gosetti
authors.affiliation: AB Sciex, Viale Lombardia 218, 20047 Brugherio (MB), Italy.
authors.forename: Ugo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Chiuminatto
authors.affiliation: University of Piemonte Orientale, Department of Science and Technological Innovation, viale T. Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mazzucco
authors.affiliation: Merck Serono, Via Ribes, 1, 10010 Colleretto Giacosa (TO), Italy.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mastroianni
authors.affiliation: University of Piemonte Orientale, Department of Science and Technological Innovation, viale T. Michel 11, 15121 Alessandria, Italy.
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marengo
mesh_terms: D001628:Beverages / Q000032:analysis*; D002329:Carmine / Q000032:analysis*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods*; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D010782:Photolysis; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D002329:Carmine
keywords: Beverage; Carminic acid; Degradation products; Discriminant analysis; Non-target screening; Principal component analysis