Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds from Trogoderma Variabile Ballion (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) Infested and Non-Infested Stored Grain Using SPME Coupled with GC-MS and FID

The study seeks to employ gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) to examine the chemical profile of Trogoderma variabile across different host grains, including oats, wheat, and barley. It also seeks to compare samples of healthy grain (non-insect-contaminated) to those infested by T. variabile, to determine if unique compounds can be used to detect infestation. This would suggest that HS-SPME coupled with GC-MS could serve as a method for identifying T. variabile infestations.T. variabile was reared on the three various commodities. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was employed, followed by gas flame ionization (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for the collection, separation, and identification of compounds. The findings revealed that 23 compounds were identified from adult insects reared on canola and wheat. Additionally, 26 compounds were emitted from both non-infested and infested wheat, with 22 being highly significant. Furthermore, 21 compounds showed significant differences between non-infested and infested oats. For infested and non-infested barley, 18 compounds differed significantly between the treatments.