Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of ?-Aminobutyric acid, ?-Hydroxybutyric acid, ?-Butyrolactone and 1,4-Butanediol in Suspicious Beverages by Water Suppression-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

A nuclear magnetic resonance ( NMR ) method for simultaneous analysis of legal additives gamma-aminobutyric acid ( GABA), illegal additives gamma-hydroxybutyricacid ( GHB) and its prodrugs gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD) in suspicious beverages was developed. 1 D/2D-NMR and the water suppression technique were applied to the qualitative and quantitative analysis. The linear ranges for these four analytes were 0. 2-10. 0 mg/ mL ( R-2 > 0. 999), and the spiked recoveries were 90%-110% , showing no major matrix effects. The intra-day and inter-day precision of the method were lower than 1. 0% and 2. 5% , respectively. The concentrations of GHB, GBL, 1, 4-BD and GABA in 26 beverage samples were 0.74 -3. 83 mg/ mL, 1.08 -8.06 mg/ mL, 2. 01 -2.29 mg/ mL and 0.21 -0.76 mg/ mL, respectively. The developed NMR methods showed great advantages for rapid analysis of GHB, GBL, 1,4-BD, and GABA in beverages in the absence of certified reference material.