We report here that a straightforward change of the standard derivatization procedure for GC⁻MS metabolomics is leading to a strong increase in metabolite signal intensity. Drying samples between methoxymation and trimethylsilylation significantly increased signals by two- to tenfold in extracts of yeast cells, plant and animal tissue, and human urine. This easy step reduces the cost of sample material and the need for expensive new hardware.
Keywords: derivatization; gas chromatography; metabolomics; sample preparation; silylation.