Characterization of benzyl isothiocyanate and phenyl acetonitrile from papayas by mass spectrometry.

Two unidentified analytical responses in a papaya extract were structurally determined by mass spectrometry to be benzyl isothiocyanate and phenyl acetonitrile. Both these compounds have previously been shown to result from degradation of benzylglucosinolate that occurs naturally in the seeds of the fruit. Characterization by mass spectrometry has now provided a convenient mechanism to detect both these degradation compounds in extracts resulting from routine pesticide residue analysis.