Quantification of Caffeine in Energy Drinks

University

Shawnee State University

Major

Industrial Chemistry

Student Type

Undergraduate Student

Presentation Types

Oral Presentation (Live)

Keywords:

Chemistry, Analysis, GC-MS, Energy Drinks

Abstract

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant found in energy drinks and other beverages that are consumed globally every day. Caffeine is typically analyzed manually using the Ultraviolet visible spectroscopy method. The purpose of my research is to replicate a different approach analyzing drink samples using a gas-chromatograph—mass-spectrometer (GC-MS) equipped with an autosampler. 25 microliters of a sample were spontaneously extracted in 1 mL of chloroform. We performed a spitless injection to the GC and ran the MS in selected ion mode (SIM). We prepared standard samples of caffeine in chloroform to be used as a calibration curve for analysis of 8 different beverages. An optimal time of 90 seconds was found for the split purge resulting in maximum signal. Each week we revised my method on the GC-MS software to obtain better results. After replicating this method, it proved to be fast, efficient, and have minimal waste.

Human and Animal Subjects

no

IRB or IACUC Approval

yes

Faculty Mentor Name

Dr. Andrew M. Napper

Faculty Mentor Title

Professor of Chemistry

Faculty Mentor Department

Natural Sciences

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Quantification of Caffeine in Energy Drinks

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant found in energy drinks and other beverages that are consumed globally every day. Caffeine is typically analyzed manually using the Ultraviolet visible spectroscopy method. The purpose of my research is to replicate a different approach analyzing drink samples using a gas-chromatograph—mass-spectrometer (GC-MS) equipped with an autosampler. 25 microliters of a sample were spontaneously extracted in 1 mL of chloroform. We performed a spitless injection to the GC and ran the MS in selected ion mode (SIM). We prepared standard samples of caffeine in chloroform to be used as a calibration curve for analysis of 8 different beverages. An optimal time of 90 seconds was found for the split purge resulting in maximum signal. Each week we revised my method on the GC-MS software to obtain better results. After replicating this method, it proved to be fast, efficient, and have minimal waste.