Detection of orange juice frauds using front-face fluorescence spectroscopy and Independent Components Analysis

The aim of this study was to find simple objective analytical methods to assess the adulteration of orange juice by grapefruit juice. The adulterations by addition of grapefruit juice were studied by 3D-front-face fluorescence spectroscopy followed by Independent Components Analysis (ICA) and by classical methods such as free radical scavenging activity and total flavonoid content. The results of this study clearly indicate that frauds by adding grapefruit juice to orange juice can be detected at percentages as low as 1%.

Separation of flavanone enantiomers and flavanone glucoside diastereomers from Balanophora involucrata Hook. f. by capillary electrophoresis and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography on a C18 column

A pair of flavanone glucoside diastereomers, (2R)- and (2S)-eriodictyol-5-O-beta-d-glucopyranoside (1a, 1b), was successfully separated by RP-C(18) high-performance liquid chromatography from Balanophora involucrata Hook. f. Some other compounds, including a pair of flavanone enantiomers, (2R)- and (2S)-eriodictyol (2a, 2b), and a pair of flavanone glucoside diastereomers, (2R)- and (2S)-eriodictyol-7-O-beta-d-glucopyranoside(3a, 3b), were separated by capillary electrophoresis from the same plant. The absolute configurations at C-2 of 1a and 1b were determined based on their circular dichroism spectra. Enzymatic hydrolysis of 1a and 1b by beta-d-glucosidase afforded (2R)- and (2S)-eriodictyol, respectively, which were used as the authentic standards for co-elution to determine the migration order of the enantiomers, 2a and 2b. We also report the first example of identifying the migration order of 2a and 2b and resolving the separation of 3a and 3b by capillary electrophoresis. In addition, 1a was unambiguously characterized for the first time by NMR spectra.

A furanocoumarin-free grapefruit juice establishes furanocoumarins as the mediators of the grapefruit juice-felodipine interaction

BACKGROUND

Grapefruit juice (GFJ) enhances the systemic exposure of numerous CYP3A4 drug substrates, including felodipine, by inhibiting intestinal (but not hepatic) first-pass metabolism. Furanocoumarins have been identified as major CYP3A4 inhibitors contained in the juice, but their contribution to the GFJ effect in vivo remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To ascertain whether furanocoumarins mediate the GFJ-felodipine interaction, a furanocoumarin-free GFJ was created and tested against orange juice and the original GFJ with respect to the oral pharmacokinetics of felodipine.

DESIGN

With the use of food-grade solvents and absorption resins, furanocoumarins were removed (approximately 99%) from whole GFJ, whereas other major ingredients (flavonoids) were retained. In an open, 3-way, randomized crossover design, 18 healthy volunteers ingested felodipine (10 mg) with 1 of the 3 juices (240 mL). Blood was collected over 24 h. At least 1 wk elapsed between juice treatments.

RESULTS

The median and range of the area under the curve and the maximum concentration of felodipine were significantly (P < 0.001) greater with consumption of GFJ [110 (range: 58-270) nmol . h/L and 21 (7.6-50) nmol/L, respectively] than with that of orange juice [54 (29-150) nmol . h/L and 7.6 (3.4-13.9) nmol/L, respectively] or furanocoumarin-free GFJ [48 (23-120) nmol . h/L and 8.3 (3.0-16.6) nmol/L, respectively]. GFJ, orange juice, and furanocoumarin-free GFJ did not differ significantly (P > 0.09) in median time to reach maximum plasma concentration [2.5 (1.5-6), 2.8 (1.5-4), and 2.5 (2-6) h, respectively] or terminal half-life [6.6 (4.2-13.6), 7.8 (4.4-13.2), and 6.8 (2.6-14.4) h, respectively].

CONCLUSION

Furanocoumarins are the active ingredients in GFJ responsible for enhancing the systemic exposure of felodipine and probably other CYP3A4 substrates that undergo extensive intestinal first-pass metabolism.

Stereoisomeric Separation of Flavanones and Flavanone-7-O-glycosides by Capillary Electrophoresis and Determination of Interconversion Barriers

The stereoisomeric separation of several flavanones and flavanone-7-O-glycosides has been achieved with capillary electrophoresis by adding native cyclodextrins or cyclodextrin derivatives to the background electrolyte. As an alternative method, micellar electrokinetic chromatography with sodium cholate as a chiral surfactant has been used for the epimeric separation of two flavanone-7-O-glycosides. The effect of buffer systems containing mixtures of cyclodextrin with either sodium dodecyl sulfate or sodium cholate upon the chiral recognition of flavanones and flavanone-7-O-glycosides as well as the variation of the background electrolyte (concentration of buffer and surfactant, pH value, organic modifier), and its influence on the resolution factor Rs was investigated. Temperature- and pH-dependent enantiomerization or epimerization barriers of several flavanones (naringenin, homoeriodictyol) and flavanone-7-O-glycosides (naringin, neohesperidin, prunin, narirutin) in basic media (pH values of 9-11) have been observed. Interconversion profiles featuring characteristic plateau formation of the elution pattern were observed at high pH and evaluated with the simulation software ChromWin to determine rate constants k(T) and Eyring activation parameters, DeltaG#(T), DeltaH#, and DeltaS#.

Analysis of flavanone-7-O-glycosides in citrus juices by short-end capillary electrochromatography

The separation of the major flavanone-7-O-glycoside constituents of Citrus was carried out by isocratic reversed phase capillary electrochromatography using a 75 microm i.d. silica fused column packed with 5 microm ODS silica gel. In comparison to HPLC mode, capillary electrochromatography resolution of flavanone glycosides was obtained with a high selectivity factor. Optimum separation conditions were found using a mixture of ammonium formate (pH 2.5)--acetonitrile (8:2, v/v) as the mobile phase by the short-end injection mode. Under these conditions all the investigated flavanones were baseline-resolved within short analysis time (i.e. between 5 and 10 min). A study, evaluating the intra- and inter-day repeatability as well as limit of detection and method linearity, was developed in accordance with the analytical procedures for method validation. The developed method was applied for the quantitative analysis of flavanone glycosides in commercial fruit juices (sweet orange, lemon and grapefruit).

Separation of flavanone-7-O-glycoside diastereomers and analysis in citrus juices by multidimensional liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry

The major flavanone-7-O-glycoside constituents in citrus fruit juices (naringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, narirutin, and eriocitrin) were separated as diastereomers by multidimensional liquid chromatography. The method consisted of coupling two HPLC columns: a reversed-phase (RP(18)) column was used for the separation of flavanone glycosides, which were, then, individually switched into a carboxymethylated beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD)-based column and resolved as the corresponding stereoisomers. The method was used for the full analysis of flavanone glycosides in fresh hand-squeezed and commercial fruit juices by combining the quantitative estimation with the diastereomeric analysis. Quantitative data were in general consistent with previously reported data in this field. CC-LC isomer analysis was carried out by coupling the beta-CD column with a mass spectrometer operated with negative ion electrospray ionization (ESI-MS). The results showed that hesperidin was present in orange juices almost exclusively as the 2S isomer, whereas narirutin had mainly the 2R configuration. In grapefruit juices (2S)-naringin prevailed with the respect to the 2R isomer, whereas the opposite was true for narirutin. Lemon juices contained eriocitrin stereoisomers in equal amount (50% each), but hesperidin was almost exclusively found as the 2S isomer. Significant differences of the diastereomeric ratios were observed between freshly squeezed juices and juices from commercial sources.

LC–MS/MS determination of naringin, hesperidin and neohesperidin in rat serum after orally administrating the decoction of Bulpleurum falcatum L. and Fractus aurantii

To identify and quantify biologically active components in rat serum after orally administrating the decoction of Bulpleurum falcatum L. and Fractus aurantii, one of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated. The HPLC separation was carried out on a Waters Nova Pak C(18) column using acetonitrile and water as mobile phase after the sample of rat serum was cleaned up with solid-phase extraction. Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization in the negative ion mode and selected reaction monitoring (SRM) method was developed to determine the active components. Three flavonoids of hesperidin, neohesperidin and naringin were identified in the serum by comparing their retention times and three independent SRM precursor/product ion transitions with those of corresponding reference standards. The concentrations of naringin, hesperidin and neohesperidin in rat serum determined by SRM measurement were 16.3, 11.9 and 14.3 ng/ml, respectively, after orally administrating the decoction of B. falcatum L. and F. aurantii. This method was validated in terms of recovery, linearity, accuracy and precision (intra- and interday variation). The recoveries from spiked control samples were 93.0, 89.3 and 91.2% for hesperidin, neohesperidin and naringin, respectively. Linearity in rat serum was observed over the range of 2.0-50.0 ng/ml. Percent bias (accuracy) and precision were well within the acceptable range and the relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of the measured rat serum samples was less than 10% (n=5).

Distribution of various peptides in citrus fruits (grapefruit, lemon, and orange)

Tissue- and species-specific peptides of the grapefruit have been investigated by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. Five peptides from the juice and one peptide from the peel were isolated by preparative gel electrophoresis. Polyclonal antibodies were developed against them in mice. It can be established that 82, 63, and 46 kDa peptides occurred exclusively in the samples prepared from the grapefruit and the lemon juice, whereas in the orange juice, only the 82 kDa peptide could be detected. The 31 kDa peptide is characteristic for the peel samples of grapefruit and lemon. The 210 kDa peptide did not show any specificity. A 117 kDa peptide appeared in the juice and peel of grapefruit and in the peel of lemon but not in the orange. From the data of this study, it is supposed that some of the polyclonal antibodies developed against characteristic juice and peel peptides can be used to test commercial grapefruit juice products for adulteration.