Drying enhances signal intensity for global GC-MS metabolomics.

We report here that a straightforward change of 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.