Determination of artificial sweeteners in beverages with green mobile phases and high temperature liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A new analytical procedure involving the use of water and a low percentage of ethanol combined to high temperature liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry has been developed for the determination of nine high-intensity sweeteners in a variety of drink samples. The method permitted the analysis in 23 min (including column reequilibration) and consuming only 0.85 mL of a green organic solvent (ethanol). This methodology provided limits of detection (after 50-fold dilution) in the 0.05–10 mg/L range, with recoveries (obtained from five different types of beverages) being in the 86–110% range and relative standard deviation values lower than 12%. Finally, the method was applied to 25 different samples purchased in Spain, where acesulfame and sucralose were the most frequently detected analytes (>50% of the samples) and cyclamate was found over the legislation limit set by the European Union in a sample and at the regulation boundary in three others.