Combining silica-based adsorbents and SPME fibers in the extraction of the volatiles of beer: an exploratory study

A series of silica-based materials were employed as sorbents within solid-phase microextraction vials. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of an additional phase on the distribution of the volatile and less volatile analytes. The adsorption of six probe molecules, namely isoamyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate (ethyl caproate), phenylethyl alcohol, ethyl octanoate (ethyl caprilate), 2-phenylethyl acetate, and ethyl decanoate, was monitored by detecting the desorbed amount on a DVD-CAR-PDMS fiber from Pilsen beer. The microextraction process involved the presence of different silica-based phases produced via different methods: xerogel produced by hydrolytic and non-hydrolytic routes, aerogel, pyrogenic, and precipitated silica. The resulting data are discussed in correlation with sorbent texture properties (specific area and pore diameter). The modification of silica with alkyl groups also affects the preconcentrated amount of the target molecules in the headspace. The presence of sorbents was shown to affect the analyte signal more than the addition of NaCl or the use of ultrasound.