Gas Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry for Biomarkers of Alcohol Abuse in Human Hair

The study developed a new, faster analytical method using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) to detect fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) in human hair, which are biomarkers of alcohol consumption. This method significantly reduced the total analysis time to less than 1 hour, compared to the traditional 15-hour procedures. The GC separation time was under 9 minutes, and the method employed selected reaction monitoring to enhance selectivity and sensitivity by reducing interferences from the hair matrix. The detection limits for FAEEs ranged from 0.002 to 0.030 ng/mg in hair. This rapid analysis method could potentially differentiate between heavy, moderate, and non-drinkers and has applications in areas such as neonatal screening, parole violations, and determining factors in causes of death.