GOOD GUY DISTILLERS W RITT E N AN D PH O T O G R APH E D B Y D AV I D L E T T E N E Y
THE
SCIENCE BEHIND QUALITY ASSURANCE:
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY MASS SPECTROMETRY
T
he key to quality assurance Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry is a separation technique used in the spirits industry is to QUANTIFY AND IDENTIFY CHEMICAL COMPONENTS OF A SAMPLE. having a skilled team that is passionate about the product FIGURE 1. Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer in the Bently Heritage Estate Distillery Laboratory. that they represent. While there are many modalities of testing in the scope of qualiGas Chromatograph Headspace Sampler Mass Spectrometer ty assurance, one of the most technical and analytical is Gas Chromatography (GC) Mass Spectrometry (MS), or GCMS. GCMS is a separation technique used to quantify and identify chemical components of a sample. The GC and MS work in combination to produce reliable analytical data on each sample. In gas chromatography, samples must be injected onto the column to start the separation process. Although there are many ways to sample, at Bently the column, which would affect the efficiency sampled and injected onto the gas chromaHeritage Estate Distillery headspace samof the stationary phase (coating on the inside tography column. There are many advantages pling is used because of the nature of the samof the column) over time. Headspace samples being tested. In headspace sampling, the of using headspace sampling as opposed to pling also increases detection limits by only liquid sampling (directly injecting the liquid vial containing the sample is heated to create introducing a concentrated sample of volatile sample onto the column). Headspace saman equilibrium between the liquid phase and pling introduces only volatile compounds compounds, which allows us to better quanthe gas phase in the sealed vial. Once this tify compounds at very low concentrations. onto the column, which prolongs the life of equilibrium is established (concentrations After the headspace has been sampled, it is the column by minimizing the amount of in the liquid phase and the gas phase are introduced to the gas chromatograph. non-volatile compounds that interact with constant), the gas phase (i.e., headspace) is W W W . ARTISANSPIRITMAG . C O M
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