Flow-injection post-chemiluminescence method for the determination of palmatine

A post-chemiluminescence (PCL) phenomenon was observed when palmatine was injected in a mixture of N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) and alkaline dichlorofluorescein (DCF) after the chemiluminescence (CL) reaction of NBS-alkaline DCF had finished. Based on the PCL reaction, a rapid and sensitive method for the determination of palmatine was established. Under optimum conditions, the CL intensity was linear, with the concentration of palmatine in the range of 5.0 × 10(-9) to 1.0 × 10(-6) M. The detection limit was 6.0 × 10(-10) M for palmatine. The relative standard deviation for 11 parallel measurements of 1.0 × 10(-7) M palmatine was 1.5%. This method was applied to the determination of palmatine in pharmaceutical samples and biological fluids, with satisfactory results. The possible reaction mechanism is discussed briefly.

Continuous-flow liquid microjunction surface sampling probe connected on-line with high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry for spatially resolved analysis of small molecules and proteins

RATIONALE

A continuous-flow liquid microjunction surface sampling probe extracts soluble material from surfaces for direct ionization and detection by mass spectrometry. Demonstrated here is the on-line coupling of such a probe with high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) enabling extraction, separation and detection of small molecules and proteins from surfaces in a spatially resolved (~0.5 mm diameter spots) manner.

METHODS

A continuous-flow liquid microjunction surface sampling probe was connected to a six-port, two-position valve for extract collection and injection to an HPLC column. A QTRAP® 5500 hybrid triple quadrupole linear ion trap equipped with a Turbo V™ ion source operated in positive electrospray ionization (ESI) mode was used for all experiments. The system operation was tested with the extraction, separation and detection of propranolol and associated metabolites from drug dosed tissues, caffeine from a coffee bean, cocaine from paper currency, and proteins from dried sheep blood spots on paper.

RESULTS

Confirmed in the tissue were the parent drug and two different hydroxypropranolol glucuronides. The mass spectrometric response for these compounds from different locations in the liver showed an increase with increasing extraction time (5, 20 and 40 s). For on-line separation and detection/identification of extracted proteins from dried sheep blood spots, two major protein peaks dominated the chromatogram and could be correlated with the expected masses for the hemoglobin α and β chains.

CONCLUSIONS

Spatially resolved sampling, separation, and detection of small molecules and proteins from surfaces can be accomplished using a continuous-flow liquid microjunction surface sampling probe coupled on-line with HPLC/MS detection.

Determination of acetaldehyde in saliva by gas-diffusion flow injection analysis

The consumption of ethanol is known to increase the likelihood of oral cancer. In addition, there has been a growing concern about possible association between long term use of ethanol-containing mouthwashes and oral cancer. Acetaldehyde, known to be a carcinogen, is the first metabolite of ethanol and it can be produced in the oral cavity after consumption or exposure to ethanol. This paper reports on the development of a gas-diffusion flow injection method for the online determination of salivary acetaldehyde by its colour reaction with 3-methyl-2-benzothiazolinone hydrazone (MBTH) and ferric chloride. Acetaldehyde samples and standards (80 μL) were injected into the donor stream containing NaCl from which acetaldehyde diffused through the hydrophobic Teflon membrane of the gas-diffusion cell into the acceptor stream containing the two reagents mentioned above. The resultant intense green coloured dye was monitored spectrophotometrically at 600 nm. Under the optimum working conditions the method is characterized by a sampling rate of 9h(-1), a linear calibration range of 0.5-15 mg L(-1) (absorbance=5.40×10(-2) [acetaldehyde, mg L(-1)], R(2)=0.998), a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.90% (n=10, acetaldehyde concentration of 2.5 mg L(-1)), and a limit of detection (LOD) of 12.3 μg L(-1). The LOD and sampling rate of the proposed method are superior to those of the conventional gas chromatographic (GC) method (LOD=93.0 μg L(-1) and sampling rate=4 h(-1)). The reliability of the proposed method was illustrated by the fact that spiked with acetaldehyde saliva samples yielded excellent recoveries (96.6-101.9%), comparable to those obtained by GC (96.4-102.3%) and there was no statistically significant difference at the 95% confidence level between the two methods when non-spiked saliva samples were analysed.

Chromatographic and mass spectrometric fingerprinting analyses of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels-derived dietary supplements

Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels ("Danggui" in Chinese) is one of the most commonly used traditional Chinese medicines. It has been used to invigorate blood circulation for the treatment of anemia, hypertension, chronic bronchitis, asthma, rheumatism, and cardiovascular diseases. There are a number of A. sinensis-derived dietary supplements in the US markets. However, no study have been conducted to investigate the quality of these dietary supplements. In this paper, high-performance liquid chromatographic and flow-injection mass spectrometric fingerprints were both evaluated to assess the consistency of A. sinensis-derived dietary supplements. Similarity analysis was carried out on the high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) fingerprints. Meanwhile, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the data obtained from flow-injection mass spectrometric (FIMS) fingerprints, which can analyze each sample in 2 min, compared with 30 min required for the chromatographic fingerprint. Both methods show significant chemical differences between samples that may be due to differences in growing locations, growing conditions, harvesting times, and/or botanical processing. The loading plots obtained from PCA singled out the discriminatory ions that were responsible for chemical differences of A. sinensis-derived dietary supplements.

A very sensitive flow-injection spectrophotometric determination method for iron (II) and total iron using 2', 3, 4', 5, 7-pentahydroxyflavone

In this study, an ultra-sensitive and highly selective, rapid flow-injection spectrophotometric method for the determination of iron (II) and total iron has been proposed. The method was based on the reaction between iron (II) and 2', 3, 4', 5, 7-pentahydroxyflavone in slightly acidic solution with a strong absorption at 415 nm. The carrier solution used was 1 × 10(-5) M 2', 3, 4', 5, 7-pentahydroxyflavone in 0.1 M HAc/Ac(-) buffer solution at pH 4.5. Parameters that affect simultaneously the determination of iron (II) and interfering ions were tested. The relative standard deviation for the determination of 50 μg L(-1) iron (II) was 0.85 % (n = 10), and the limit of detection (blank signal plus three times the standard deviation of the blank) was 3 μg L(-1), both based on injection volumes of 20 μL. The method has been successfully applied to the determination of iron (II) and total iron in water samples and ore samples. The method was verified by analysing a certified reference material Zn/Al/Cu 43XZ3F.

Continuous, quantitative monitoring of roxithromycin in human saliva by flow injection chemiluminescence analysis

Human saliva quantitative monitoring of roxithromycin (ROX) at picomolar-level by flow injection (FI) chemiluminescence (CL) analysis is described for the first time, to our knowledge. Monitoring was based on the CL intensity from luminol-BSA reaction, which can be quenched in the presence of ROX, with the decreasing CL intensity linearly proportional to the logarithm of the ROX concentration, ranging from 0.6 to 1000 pmol·L(-1). The detection limit of the proposed method for the determination of ROX was as low as 0.2 pmol·L(-1) (3σ), and the relative standard deviations were less than 4.0% (n = 7). A complete analytical process, including sampling and washing for ROX determination, conducted at a flow rate of 2.0 mL·min(-1), was performed completely within 30 s, yielding a sample efficiency of 120 h(-1). The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of ROX in human saliva and serum samples with recoveries from 90.9% to 110.1%. The continuous monitoring of ROX in human saliva after oral intake showed that the total elimination ratio was 87.1% during 24 h, and the pharmacokinetic parameters were 0.97 ± 0.18 h(-1) for the absorption rate constant K(a), 0.082 ± 0.010 h(-1) for the elimination rate constant K(e), and 8.56 ± 1.11 h for the elimination half-life time t(1/2). It was also found that ROX in human saliva and urine simultaneously reached the maximum at 2 h with the concentration correlate ratio of 0.97.

Fast simultaneous determination of traces of Cu(II) and Co(II) in soils and sediments with the luminol/perborate chemiluminescent system

A flow injection analysis method based on ion chromatography and luminol chemiluminescence detection was used for the simultaneous determination of copper (II) and cobalt (II) trace levels in soils and sediments following microwave-assisted acid digestion. Detection was based on chemiluminescence (CL) of the luminol-perborate system in an alkaline medium, which is catalyzed by both transition metals. The concentration and pH of the eluent (oxalic acid) was found to affect CL intensities and retention times, both of which were inversely proportional to the oxalic acid concentration. The calibration curves for both metal ions were linear and allowed a limit of detection of 0.003 μg l(-1) for cobalt (II) and 0.014 μg l(-1) for cooper (II) to be calculated. The proposed method was successfully used to determine both metal ions in certified reference materials of stream and river sediments and soil samples. Based on the results, the determination is free of interferences from the usual concomitant ions.

Differentiating organic from conventional peppermints using chromatographic and flow injection mass spectrometric (FIMS) fingerprints

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and flow injection mass spectrometric (FIMS) fingerprinting techniques were tested for their potential in differentiating organic and conventional peppermint samples. Ten organic and ten conventional peppermint samples were examined using HPLC-UV and FIMS methods. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that both HPLC and FIMS fingerprints could determine the difference in the commercial organic and conventional peppermints. FIMS fingerprinting provided a rapid test to differentiate organic and conventional peppermints in 1 min of analysis and has potential for high-throughput applications. On the other hand, HPLC fingerprints provide more information about the chemical composition of the samples, but take a longer time to differentiate organic and conventional peppermint samples.

Speciation of arsenic (III) and arsenic (V) based on quenching of CdS quantum dots fluorescence using hybrid sequential injection-stopped flow injection gas-diffusion system

A hybrid sequential injection-stopped flow injection system was developed for the speciation of arsenic based on the quenching of mercaptoacetic acid capped cadmium sulfide quantum dots (CdS-MAA QDs) fluorescence intensity. The analytical procedure involves the generation of arsine from As(III) by sodium borohydride in acetate buffer medium pH 6.0. The generated arsine (donor stream) diffuses across the PTFE membrane of the gas-diffusion unit into an acceptor stream and then interacts with CdS-MAA QDs. Total arsenic was determined after pre-reduction of As(V) to As(III) with 1% (m/v) mercaptoacetic acid. Concentration of As(V) in the sample solutions can be deduced from the difference of total arsenic and As(III). Optimization of the experimental conditions and instrumental parameters were investigated. Under optimal conditions, limits of detection were 20 μg L(-1) for As(III) and 40 μg L(-1) for As(V). Recoveries in the range 84-103% were obtained from sediment sample.

Cobinamide chemistries for photometric cyanide determination. A merging zone liquid core waveguide cyanide analyzer using cyanoaquacobinamide

Diaquacobinamide (H(2)O)(2)Cbi(2+) or its conjugate base hydroxyaquacobinamide (OH(H(2)O)Cbi(+))) can bind up to two cyanide ions, making dicyanocobinamide. This transition is accompanied by a significant change in color, previously exploited for cyanide determination. The reagent OH(H(2)O)Cbi(+) is used in excess; when trace amounts of cyanide are added, CN(H(2)O)Cbi(+) should be formed. But the spectral absorption of CN(H(2)O)Cbi(+) is virtually the same as that of OH(H(2)O)Cbi(+). It has been inexplicable how trace amounts of cyanide are sensitively measured by this reaction. It is shown here that even with excess OH(H(2)O)Cbi(+), (CN)(2)Cbi is formed first due to kinetic reasons; this only slowly forms CN(H(2)O)Cbi(+). This understanding implies that CN(H(2)O)Cbi(+) will itself be a better reagent. We describe a single valve merging zone flow analyzer that allows both sample and reagent economy. With a 50 cm liquid core waveguide (LCW) flow cell and an inexpensive fiber optic-charge coupled device array spectrometer, a S/N=3 limit of detection of 8 nM, a linear dynamic range to 6 μM, and excellent precision (RSD 0.49% and 1.07% at 50 and 100 nM, respectively, n=5 each) are formed. At 1% carryover, sample throughput is 40 h(-1). The setup is readily used to measure thiocyanate with different reagents. We demonstrate applicability to real samples by analyzing human saliva samples and hydrolyzed extracts of apple seeds, peach pits, and almonds.

Trace rare earth element detection in food and agricultural products based on flow injection walnut shell packed microcolumn preconcentration coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

With the extensive use of rare earth elements (REEs) in agriculture as fertilizer and feed additives, the concentration of REEs has increased in environmental and biological samples and finally impaired human health by food chain accumulation. The determination of trace REEs has gained considerable importance because of their toxicity and increasing occurrence. In this work, walnut shell has been used as the green adsorbent in online preconcentration and detection of REEs in food and agricultural products coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Because of the porous surface and abundant -COO(-) groups on the walnut shell surface, the walnut shell-packed microcolumn provides high adsorption efficiency and high tolerable capacity for coexisting ions. Under the optimized conditions, the adsorption efficiency of the walnut shell packed microcolumn was as high as 98.9% for 15 REEs, and the tolerable concentration ratios were between 2000 and 80,000,000 for 37 kinds of coexisting interfering ions. The enhancement factors achieved were 79-102 for 15 REEs with a sample loading volume of 4.7 mL. The detection limits were in the range of 2-34 pg g(-1). The relative standard deviation for 11 replicate preconcentrations of 2.5 ng L(-1) REEs solution ranged from 0.5 to 2.0%. The present method was successfully applied to selective determination of REEs in 4 environmental and biological certified reference materials and 18 locally collected food and agricultural products.

Simultaneous determination of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in tannery wastewater using low pressure ion chromatography combined with flow injection spectrophotometry

Trivalent and hexavalent chromium have been successfully separated and determined using low pressure ion chromatography combined with flow injection spectrophotometric analysis (LPIC-FIA). A column packed with crosslinking starch microspheres was used for on-line separation of Cr(III) from Cr(VI) in a flow-injection system because of its absorptive effect on Cr(III). To determine the concentration of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in samples, we used 3.0 mmol/L nitric acid to elute adsorbed Cr(III) from the column and then used ceric sulfate-sulfuric acid as oxidant to convert all Cr(III) into Cr(VI). Then, Cr(VI) directly came from the samples and Cr(VI) came from Cr(III) successively formed a amaranthine complex with diphenycarbazide and the complex shows a maximum absorption at 530 nm. Analytical parameters including the concentration of eluent and oxidant solution, oxidizing temperature, length of oxidizing reaction coil, reaction coil and injection coil, interfering effects, etc., were optimized. The limit of detection was 1.25 μg/L for Cr(VI) and 3.76 μg/L for Cr(III). The linear relationship between absorption with the concentration of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) was 0.001-1.000 mg/L and 0.030-1.000 mg/L with correlation coefficients of 0.9995 and 0.9994, respectively. The relative standard deviation of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) was 1.21% and 1.66%, respectively (n=10). Major cations and anions did not show any interference. We validated this method through certified reference materials and through measuring the recovery in tannery wastewater.

Determination of nonprotein amino acids and betaines in vegetable oils by flow injection triple-quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry: a screening method for the detection of adulterations of olive oils

A novel screening method using an automated flow injection electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry system is proposed for the simultaneous determination of five nonprotein amino acids (β-alanine, alloisoleucine, ornithine, citrulline, pyroglutamic acid) and three betaines (glycine betaine, trigonelline, proline betaine) after derivatization with butanolic HCl. MS/MS experiments were carried out in a triple-quadrupole instrument using multiple reaction monitoring mode in <2 min. The proposed method provided high fingerprinting power to identify the presence of five of the studied compounds in different types of vegetable oils (soybean, sunflower, corn, olive) with LODs at parts per billion levels. The method was validated, and different mixtures of extra virgin olive oil with seed oils were analyzed, achieving the typification for the detection of adulterations in extra virgin olive oils up to 2% w/w. The nonprotein amino acid ornithine was confirmed as a marker for adulteration in the olive oils analyzed.

A novel flow-injection analysis system for evaluation of antioxidants by using sodium dichloroisocyanurate as a source of hypochlorite anion

A flow injection analysis (FIA) system for evaluation of the antioxidant activity of a compound capable of scavenging a hypochlorite anion (OCl⁻), one of the reactive oxygen species (ROS), was developed. Aminophenyl fluorescein (APF), a fluorescence indicator of ROS, was mixed manually with the test compounds and the mixed solution was injected into the FIA system. The injected solution was reacted in-line with OCl⁻, that was produced by using sodium dichloroisocyanurate in the presence of 0.1 M CH3CO2Na in H2O. The fluorescence intensity of fluorescein generated from non-fluorescent APF was significantly attenuated in compounds that had a scavenging effect on OCl⁻. The precision obtained by the FIA system was satisfactory (relative standard deviation < 5.0%) and a rapid assay within 0.5 min per sample was achieved. The proposed FIA system was used to demonstrate that reduced glutathione, dithiothreitol, and 3-methyl-1-phenyl-5-pyrazolone (edaravone) showed a significant scavenging effect on OCl⁻. Therefore, the proposed FIA system can be used as a screening assay for OCl⁻-scavenging compounds.

Application of DV-SIA manifold for determination of thiocyanate ions in human saliva samples

An automated, simple and inexpensive double-valve sequential injection analysis (DV-SIA) spectrophotometic method with online liquid-liquid extraction, for the determination of thiocyanate has been developed. The method has been based on the formation of an ion associate between thiocyanate and Astra Phloxine in acidic medium, and the subsequent extraction with amylacetate. The absorbance of the extracted ion associate was measured at 550nm. The calibration function was linear in the range 0.05-0.50mmolL(-1) and the regression equation was A=(1.887±0.053) [SCN(-)mmolL(-1)]+(0.037±0.014) with a correlation coefficient of 0.995. The precision of the proposed method was evaluated by the relative standard deviation (RSD) values at two concentration levels: 0.20 and 0.50mmolL(-1). The obtained results were 1.0 and 2.8%, respectively, for the intra-day precision, and 4.2 and 3.8%, respectively for the inter-day precision. The calculated detection limit was 0.02mmolL(-1). The developed method has been successfully applied for determining thiocyanate ions in human saliva samples.

[Determination of phenobarbital in human urine and serum using flow injection chemiluminescence]

A sensitive chemiluminescence method, based on the enhancive effect of phenobarbital on the chemiluminescence reaction between luminol and dissolved oxygen in a flow injection system, was proposed for the determination of phenobarbital. The chemiluminescence intensity responded to the concentration of phenobarbital linearly ranging from 0.05 to 10 ng x ml(-1) with the detection limit of 0.02 ng x ml(-1) (3 sigma). At a flow rate of 2.0 ml x min(-1), a complete determination of phenobarbital, including sampling and washing, could be accomplished in 0.5 min, offering the sampling efficiency of 120 h(-1) accordingly. The method was applied successfully in an assay of PB for pharmaceutical preparations, human urine and serum without any pretreatment with recovery from 95.7 to 106.7% and RSDs of less than 3.0%.

Flow injection analysis of ketoprofen based on the order transform second chemiluminescence reaction

This paper explores an order-transform-second-chemiluminescence (OTSCL) method combining the flow injection technique for the determination of ketoprofen. When ketoprofen solution was injected into the mixture after the end of the reaction of alkaline luminol and sodium periodate or sodium periodate solution was injected into the reaction mixture of ketoprofen and alkaline luminol, a new chemiluminescence (CL) reaction was initiated and strong CL signal was detected. A mechanism for the OTSCL has been proposed on the basis of the chemiluminescence kinetic characteristic, UV-visible absorption and chemiluminescent spectra. Under optimal experimental conditions, the CL response is proportional to the concentration of ketoprofen over the range of 2.0×10(-7) to 1.0×10(-5)mol/L with a correlation coefficient of 0.9950 and a detection limit of 8.0×10(-9)mol/L (3σ). The relative standard deviation for 11 repetitive determinations of 1.0×10(-6)mol/L ketoprofen is 2.9%. The utility of this method was demonstrated by determining ketoprofen in pharmaceutical formulations without interference from its potential impurities.

Determination of phenol by flow-injection with chemiluminescence detection based on the hemin-catalysed luminol-hydrogen peroxide reaction

This study established a novel flow injection (FI) methodology for the determination of phenol in aqueous samples based on luminol chemiluminescence (CL) detection. The method was based on the inhibition that phenol caused on the hemin-catalysed chemiluminescence reaction between luminol and hydrogen peroxide in alkaline solution. Optimum conditions and possible mechanisms have been investigated. The linear range was 2.0×10(-9) to 4.0×10(-7)gmL(-1) for phenol. The proposed method is sensitive with a detection limit of 4.0×10(-10)gmL(-1). The relative standard deviation for 11 measurements was 2.3% for 1.0×10(-7)gmL(-1) phenol. The method was applied for the determination of phenol in waste water samples. The results obtained compared well with those by an official method.

[Flow injection analysis method for hygienic examination of volatile phenol compounds in the air of residential area]

OBJECTIVE

To establish a flow injection analysis for hygienic examination of volatile phenol compounds in the air of residential area.

METHOD

Volatile phenol compounds in the air was sampled by a fritted glass bubbler with 10 ml 0.1 mol/L sodium hydroxide inside and analyzed by a flow injection analyzer. The samples were reacted with 4-aminoantipyrine after online distillation in the presence of potassium ferricyanide.

RESULTS

There was a linear relationship in the range of 0 - 1500 microg/L. The samples could be stored in a 4 degrees C refrigerator at least for 7 days. This method showed a high reproducibility with relative standard deviations of 0.84% - 1.0%. The recoveries of standard addition of the method were 100.3% - 103.3%. The detection limit was 0.0003 mg/m3 and the linear range was 0.0009 -0.25 mg/m3. The absorption efficiencies were 96.1% - 97.2%.

CONCLUSION

This method meets the requirements for the analysis of volatile phenol compounds in the air of residential area.

The role of liquid chromatography and flow injection analyses coupled to isotope ratio mass spectrometry for studying human in vivo glucose metabolism

Under most physiological conditions, glucose, or carbohydrate (CHO), homeostasis is tightly regulated. In order to mechanistically appraise the origin of circulating glucose (e.g. via either gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis or oral glucose intake), and its regulation and oxidation, the use of stable isotope tracers is now a well-accepted analytical technique. Methodologically, liquid chromatography coupled to isotope ratio mass spectrometry (LC/IRMS) can replace gas chromatography coupled to combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS) for carrying out compound-specific (13)C isotopic analysis. The LC/IRMS approach is well suited for studying glucose metabolism, since the plasma glucose concentration is relatively high and the glucose can readily undergo chromatography in an aqueous mobile phase. Herewith, we report two main methodological approaches in a single instrument: (1) the ability to measure the isotopic enrichment of plasma glucose to assess the efficacy of CHO-based treatment (cocoa-enriched) during cycling exercise with healthy subjects, and (2) the capacity to carry out bulk isotopic analysis of labeled solutions, which is generally performed with an elemental analyzer coupled to IRMS. For plasma samples measured by LC/IRMS the data show a isotopic precision SD(δ(13)C) and SD(APE) of 0.7 ‰ and 0.001, respectively, with δ(13)C and APE values of -25.48 ‰ and 0.06, respectively, being generated before and after tracer administration. For bulk isotopic measurements, the data show that the presence of organic compounds in the blank slightly affects the δ(13)C values. Despite some analytical limitations, we clearly demonstrate the usefulness of the LC/IRMS especially when (13)C-glucose is required during whole-body human nutritional studies.

Flow injection spectrophotometric determination of N-acetyl-L-cysteine as a complex with palladium(II)

We describe a new method using flow-injection analysis with spectro-photometric detection, suitable for the determination of N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC). The proposed method is appropriate for the determination of NAC in reaction with Pd²⁺ ions in the concentration range from 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ to 6.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹. The detection limit NAC was 5.84 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ and the recorded relative standard deviation of the method is in the range from 1.67 to 4.11%. NAC and Pd²⁺ form complexes of Pd²⁺:NAC molar ratios of 1:1 and 1:2, depending on the ratio of their analytical concentrations. The cumulative conditional stability constant for the Pd(NAC)₂²⁺ complex is β₁₂’ = 2.69 × 10⁹ L² mol⁻². The proposed method was compared with the classic spectrophotometric determination of NAC, using the same reagent, PdCl₂, and had shown certain advantages: a) shorter analysis time; b) the use of smaller volumes of sample and reagents, which make the proposed method cheaper and faster for NAC determination in real samples without sample pretreatment.

Fast extraction and dilution flow injection mass spectrometry method for quantitative chemical residue screening in food

A prototype multiresidue method based on fast extraction and dilution of samples followed by flow injection mass spectrometric analysis is proposed here for high-throughput chemical screening in complex matrices. The method was tested for sulfonylurea herbicides (triflusulfuron methyl, azimsulfuron, chlorimuron ethyl, sulfometuron methyl, chlorsulfuron, and flupyrsulfuron methyl), carbamate insecticides (oxamyl and methomyl), pyrimidine carboxylic acid herbicides (aminocyclopyrachlor and aminocyclopyrachlor methyl), and anthranilic diamide insecticides (chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole). Lemon and pecan were used as representative high-water and low-water content matrices, respectively, and a sample extraction procedure was designed for each commodity type. Matrix-matched external standards were used for calibration, yielding linear responses with correlation coefficients (r) consistently >0.99. The limits of detection (LOD) were estimated to be between 0.01 and 0.03 mg/kg for all analytes, allowing execution of recovery tests with samples fortified at ≥0.05 mg/kg. Average analyte recoveries obtained during method validation for lemon and pecan ranged from 75 to 118% with standard deviations between 3 and 21%. Representative food processed fractions were also tested, that is, soybean oil and corn meal, yielding individual analyte average recoveries ranging from 62 to 114% with standard deviations between 4 and 18%. An intralaboratory blind test was also performed; the method excelled with 0 false positives and 0 false negatives in 240 residue measurements (20 samples × 12 analytes). The daily throughput of the fast extraction and dilution (FED) procedure is estimated at 72 samples/chemist, whereas the flow injection mass spectrometry (FI-MS) throughput could be as high as 4.3 sample injections/min, making very efficient use of mass spectrometers with negligible instrumental analysis time compared to the sample homogenization, preparation, and data processing steps.

Sequential injection analysis with electrochemical detection as a tool for economic and rapid evaluation of total antioxidant capacity

This work presents a new flow-based coupled electrochemical technique for evaluation of "total antioxidant capacity (TAC)". A sequential injection (SI) with amperometric detection was applied to the TAC analysis of commercial instant ginger infusion beverages using 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assay. Besides having chromogenic properties, the ABTS reagent behaves as an electroactive species at the glassy carbon electrode in phosphate buffer pH 7.0, the decrease of the cathodic current signal of the ABTS(+) radical after reaction with antioxidants can be monitored. The SI system, furnished with an in-house electrochemical detection cell (ECD), was optimized with respect to the applied potential, sample and reagent volume, and flow rate to the detector. Gallic acid was used as the standard antioxidant and the capacity was reported as gallic acid equivalent (GAE) unit. TAC measurements of ginger infusions at the optimum condition were performed using the proposed technique and also with the classical batch spectrophotometric ABTS assay. TAC values obtained from our method and the standard method are in good agreement (r(2)=0.956). The SI-amperometric technique provided satisfactory precision (4.11% RSD) with rapid sample throughput (40 samples h(-1)). Also using this method, the consumption of the expensive ABTS reagent was greatly reduced.

Flow injection measurements of S-nitrosothiols species in biological samples using amperometric nitric oxide sensor and soluble organoselenium catalyst reagent

A novel flow injection analysis (FIA) system suitable for measurement of S-nitrosothiols (RSNOs) in blood plasma is described. In the proposed (FIA) system, samples and standards containing RSNO species are injected into a buffer carrier stream that is mixed with the reagent stream containing 3,3'-dipropionicdiselenide (SeDPA) and glutathione (GSH). SeDPA has been shown previously to catalytically decompose RSNOs in the presence of a reducing agent, such as GSH, to produce nitric oxide (NO). The liberated NO is then detected downstream by an amperometric NO sensor. This sensor is prepared using an electropolymerized m-phenylenediamine (m-PD)/resorcinol and Nafion composite films at the surface of a platinum electrode. Using optimized flow rates and reagent concentrations, detection of various RSNOs at levels in the range of 0.25-20 μM is possible. For plasma samples, detection of background sensor interference levels within the samples must first be carried out using an identical FIA arrangement, but without the added SeDPA and GSH reagents. Subtraction of this background sensor current response allows good analytical recovery of RSNOs spiked into animal plasma samples, with recoveries in the range of 90.4-101.0%.

Fast determination of oleic acid in pork by flow injection analysis/mass spectrometry

In some Mediterranean products such as olive oil or ham, oleic acid is the most abundant component of the total fat. Due to the large volume of trade in these products, it may be necessary to analyze oleic fatty acids in high numbers of samples in short periods of time. However, using classic lipid analysis techniques, it is not always possible to cope with these high demands. To solve this problem, a high-throughput analytical method for oleic fatty acid quantification in pork is presented. The purpose of the method is to avoid liquid chromatography processes using a flow injection analysis (FIA) system based on electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The use of pentadecanoic fatty acid as an internal standard overcame matrix effects. The oleic FIA technique could be used as a suitable method for discriminating carcass samples for selection and labeling by oleic acid content when large numbers of pork samples must be processed in a short period of time.