A Comparative Investigation of Volatile Organic Compounds of Cattle Rumen Metabolites using HS-SPME and PoraPak-Q Odor Trapping Methods

Abstract In the rapidly increasing field of metabolomic research, fast and accurate trapping of volatile odor compounds from biological samples is critical. Here a comparative evaluation of HS-SPME and PoraPak-Q adsorbent odor trapping methods followed by GC-MS analysis were used to determine volatile compounds in cattle rumen. Compared to the PoraPak-Q adsorbent, the HS-SPME method was more effective in trapping diverse metabolites including low molecular weight and highly volatile compounds such as carbon dioxide, acetic and butyric acid. Additionally, using the HS-SPME method, shorter trapping times were achieved (30 minutes) whilst the PoraPak-Q adsorbent required longer time extending beyond 1 hour for effective volatile trapping. In the context of metabolomics analysis from biological samples, the two different methods vary in determination of chemo-diversities, qualitatively and abundance of shared odor, and time required to trap odors, which are critical in such studies. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT