Soda Showdown

A UHPLC-MS/MS method was developed and demonstrated successfully for the quantification of 2-MI and 4-MI in carbonated drinks. A colorless lemon-lime flavored carbonated drink was assayed for comparison and was found to contain no quantifiable target analytes. Among the tested dark-colored soda drinks, 4-MI was observed in each of them in the range of 280 to 793 ppb, and all samples appeared to be free of 2-MI. The detected concentrations of 4-MI were so high that consumption of a single serving would exceed the NRSL at 16 µg per person per day set up by California’s OEHHA, posing potentially adverse health effects to consumers.

Dr. William Schnute is the senior manager for the Mass Spectrometry Technical Center at Dionex Corp. in Sunnyvale, Calif.; Jinyuan (Leo) Wang is senior applications chemist for the center. Christopher Pohl is senior vice president and chief science and technology officer of Dionex’s Research and Development Division; Dr. Xiaodong Liu the manager for HPLC in the division.

References

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