Analysis and occurrence of seven artificial sweeteners in German waste water and surface water and in soil aquifer treatment (SAT)

• Published in: Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry Vol. 394; no. 6; pp. 1585 - 1594
• Main Authors: Scheurer, Marco, Brauch, Heinz-J, Lange, Frank T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Berlin/Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag 01.07.2009; Springer-Verlag; Springer
• Subjects: Analysis methods; Analytical Chemistry; Applied sciences; Aquifers; Aspartame; Biochemistry; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chromatographic methods and physical methods associated with chromatography; Chromatography, Liquid; Exact sciences and technology; Extraction; Food Science; Fresh Water - chemistry; Germany; Global environmental pollution; Ionization; Laboratory Medicine; Molecular Structure; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Nanostructure; Natural water pollution; Other chromatographic methods; Paper in Forefront; Pollution; Sewage - chemistry; Soil; Soil (material); Spectrometric and optical methods; Surface water; Sweeteners; Sweetening Agents - analysis; Sweetening Agents - chemistry; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Purification; Water treatment and pollution; Artificial sweeteners; Sucralose; Acesulfame; Soil aquifer treatment; Surface water; Waste water; Methane; Solid phase extraction; Liquid chromatography; Matrix effect; Contamination; Electrospray; Chemical ionization; Chemical enrichment; Aspartame; Aquatic environment; Soils; Chemical modification; Sample preparation; Mass spectrometry MS/MS; Simultaneous measurement; Environment; Sweetener; Tracers
• ISSN: 1618-2642; 1618-2650
• DOI: 10.1007/s00216-009-2881-y

A method for the simultaneous determination of seven commonly used artificial sweeteners in water is presented. The analytes were extracted by solid phase extraction using Bakerbond SDB 1 cartridges at pH 3 and analyzed by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry in negative ionization mode. Ionization was enhanced by post-column addition of the alkaline modifier Tris(hydroxymethyl)amino methane. Except for aspartame and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, recoveries were higher than 75% in potable water with comparable results for surface water. Matrix effects due to reduced extraction yields in undiluted waste water were negligible for aspartame and neotame but considerable for the other compounds. The widespread distribution of acesulfame, saccharin, cyclamate, and sucralose in the aquatic environment could be proven. Concentrations in two influents of German sewage treatment plants (STPs) were up to 190 μg/L for cyclamate, about 40 μg/L for acesulfame and saccharin, and less than 1 μg/L for sucralose. Removal in the STPs was limited for acesulfame and sucralose and >94% for saccharin and cyclamate. The persistence of some artificial sweeteners during soil aquifer treatment was demonstrated and confirmed their environmental relevance. The use of sucralose and acesulfame as tracers for anthropogenic contamination is conceivable. In German surface waters, acesulfame was the predominant artificial sweetener with concentrations exceeding 2 μg/L. Other sweeteners were detected up to several hundred nanograms per liter in the order saccharin [almost equal to] cyclamate > sucralose. [graphic removed]