High-throughput detection of bottle materials of agave spirits using 3D-printed cartridges for paper-spray ionization mass spectrometry

Abstract

The material of storage containers affects the shelf life and the chemical composition of food. Artisanal agave spirits, such as mezcal and bacanora, might be filled into low-cost plastic bottles that compromise product quality. We developed an analytical platform to identify the bottle materials of agave spirits, which employs 3D-printed cartridges, and the robotic platform Open LabBot/Open SprayBot for paper-spray ionization mass spectrometry (PS-MS). The bottle material of 102 fresh samples could be identified with a 2 % error. Samples stored for two years at −20 °C in glass vials still were classified correctly in 76 % of the cases. Therefore, the spirits still appear adulterated for a prolonged time after re-bottling into inert containers. The measurement time is about 30 s/sample. Thus, the 3D-PS-MS strategy can be applied for the high-throughput screening for bottle materials of agave spirits and other alcoholic beverages.