PTR-MS study of esters in water and water/ethanol solutions: Fragmentation patterns and partition coefficients

Esters strongly influence the perceived aroma of alcoholic beverages and their rapid monitoring can play an important role in the quality control of these products. Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS) allows the rapid and non invasive monitoring of foodstuff but there is still a lack of information about the proton transfer induced fragmentation and on the effect of high ethanol concentration. PTR-MS fragmentation patterns of 21 esters are reported, most of them for the first time. For linear methyl and ethyl esters the fragmentation dependence on E/N was also evaluated. Acetate esters, with exception of methyl acetate, show as main peaks the characteristic fragment ions at m/z 61 and m/z 43, whereas propanoate esters, but methyl propanoate, exhibit as main peaks the typical signals at m/z 75 and m/z 57. For all the other esters, here reported, the spectra are dominated by the protonated molecular ion. For methyl and ethyl esters we also report, in many cases for the first time, the water-solution/air partition coefficients (Henry's law constant) and the ethanol-solution/air partition coefficients at different ethanol concentrations. The information provided in this work may be useful as a basis for further studies for the identification and quantification of esters in the headspace of alcoholic beverages extending the application field of PTR-MS.