Coupling needle-trap devices with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry to rapidly reveal the chemical transformation of volatile components from sulfur-fumigated ginseng

Sulfur-fumigation could alter the quality of white ginseng by damaging the bioactive compounds and generating sulfur-containing materials. In the present study, coupling needle-trap devices with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry was applied to rapidly reveal chemical transformation of volatile components from sulfur-fumigated ginseng. Thirty-two volatile compounds were not in white ginseng samples after sulfur-fumigation. Furthermore, 20 sulfur-containing compounds were identified for the first time in volatile oil of sulfur-fumigated white ginseng. The established approach could be applied to discriminate sulfur-fumigated white ginseng among commercial samples and to control the quality of white ginseng.