Development and validation of a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry method for the determination of α- and ß-2, 7, 11-cembratriene-4, 6-diols in tobacco

Purpose This paper aims to present a robust method for the determination of α- and ß-2, 7, 11-cembratriene-4, 6-diols (α, ß-CBT-diol) in tobacco samples which was developed and validated by using the self-made α, ß-CBT-diol with higher purity as the standard. Design/methodology/approach After the ultrasonic extraction and clean-up procedures, samples were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in selected ion monitoring mode and full scan mode at the same time. A 1-heptadecanol was used as an internal standard. The important parameters, such as extraction conditions and derivation conditions, were optimized. Findings Under the optimal conditions, good results in terms of linearity (R2 > 0.999) and recoveries (93.2-107 per cent) were achieved. The limits of detection were 0.120 and 0.180 μg/ml for α- and ß-CBT-diol, respectively. α, ß-CBT-diol level of analyzed tobacco was found in the range of 34.2-1.26 × 103 μg/g with relative standard deviations below 6 per cent. Originality/value Such a strategy opens a new door towards the development of a simple, robust and sensitive method for the determination of α, ß-CBT-diol in real samples.