Analysis of off-flavors in the aquatic environment by stir bar sorptive extraction–thermal desorption–capillary GC/MS/olfactometry

The off-flavor compounds 2-methylisoborneol (MIB), geosmin, 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, 2,3,6-trichloroanisole, 2,3,4-trichloroanisole, and 2,4,6-tribromoanisole were analyzed in water samples by stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) followed by on-line thermal desorption (TD) capillary GC/MS. Quantification was performed using the MS in the single-ion-monitoring mode (SIM) with 2,4,6-trichloroanisole-D5 as internal standard. Quantification limits are 0.1–0.2 ng L−1 for the haloanisoles, 0.5 ng L−1 for geosmin, and 1 ng L−1 for MIB. The relative standard deviations at the quantification limit ranged from 7 to 14.6%. SBSE recovery was evaluated by spiking real water samples and varied from 87 to 117%. More than twenty samples per day can be analyzed by SBSE–TD–capillary GC–MS. The same technique in combination with olfactometry was used to elucidate unknown odorous compounds in water samples.