A simplified spectrophotometric method for the determination of inulin in Jerusalem artichoke (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Helianthus tuberosus</Emphasis> L.) tubers

A simple spectrophotometric method was developed for the analysis of inulin in Jerusalem artichoke tubers. The inulin was extracted from the artichoke tuber samples using accelerated solvent extraction method, before subsequent hydrolysis in acid condition. The hydrolysates were then analyzed for fructose using spectrophotometry. The spectrophotometric method is based on oxidation of fructose by periodate and evaluation of the remaining periodate by measuring the absorbance at 350 nm of the tri-iodide complex formed, upon addition of potassium iodide. The optimum conditions for the detection of fructose were 0.1 mmol L⁻¹ periodate and 1.5 mmol L⁻¹ potassium iodide at pH 6.0. The proposed method was validated for its analytical performance parameters including accuracy, precision, and recovery. The method was applied to the determination of inulin in ten varieties of Jerusalem artichoke grown in the northeastern part of Thailand. The inulin content in the samples was found to be in the range of 63–75.5% dry weight, and the degree of polymerization was in the range of 14–20. The inulin contents obtained from the proposed spectrophotometry were not significantly different (p = 0.05) from those obtained from high-performance anion-exchange chromatography coupled with pulsed amperometric detection. The results indicated that the present spectrophotometric method can be used as an alternative to chromatographic analysis for the determination of inulin in plant samples.     

Surfactant–Solvent-Based Quaternary Component Emulsification Microextraction Followed by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography for the Simultaneous Analysis of Benzimidazole Anthelmintics in Milk Samples

A simple surfactant-solvent-based quaternary component emulsification microextraction (SSEME) method combined with high-performance liquid chromatography–photodiode array detection has been developed for the extraction, preconcentration, and determination of four benzimidazole anthelmintic (i.e., oxfendazole, mebendazole, albendazole, and fenbendazole) residues in milk samples. The quaternary component solvent of SSEME carried out in 10 mL aqueous solution were Triton X-114 (emulsifier or carrier), acetonitrile (disperser solvent), and 1-octanol (extraction solvent). The surfactant has an important role in the enhancement of the extraction efficiency of the high polar analytes. For milk sample analyses, linearity was obtained in the range of 10–200 μg/L with the determination coefficients (R ²) higher than 0.996. Preconcentration factor was obtained in the range of 21–38, corresponding to limits of detection in the range of 2.6–9.9 μg/L. Intra-day (n?=?6) and inter-day (n?=?6?×?3) precisions in the sample studied were obtained with relative standard deviation below 8.8 %. The recoveries for the spiked target anthelmintics at different concentrations (25, 50, 100, and 150 μg/L) were obtained in the range 80.1–114.1 %. The proposed SSEME method has been demonstrated that is simple, effective, and reliable for the analysis of analytes in the samples studied and can be used as an alternative green analytical technique for benzimidazole analysis.     

Preconcentration and Simultaneous Analysis of Benzimidazole Anthelmintics in Milk Samples by Ultrasound-Assisted Surfactant-Enhanced Emulsification Microextraction and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

The proposed ultrasound-assisted surfactant-enhanced emulsification microextraction (UASEME) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA) has been developed for the preconcentration and simultaneous analysis of five benzimidazole anthelmintics. Dichloromethane (extraction solvent) and Triton X-114 (emulsifier) was used for extraction of the target analytes. The parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, linearity was in the range from 10 to 150 μg?L^?1 with good coefficients of determination (R ²) higher than 0.994. Preconcentration factors were obtained up to 60, corresponding to limits of detection range of 1.8???3.6 μg?L^?1. Intra-day (n?=?5) and inter-day (n?=?4?×?3) precisions were obtained with relative standard deviation of retention time and peak area below 0.8 and 9.2 %, respectively. Good recoveries for the spiked target anthelmintics at different concentrations (e.g., 20, 50, and 100 μg?L^?1) of milk samples were obtained in 72.5–113.5 %. The results demonstrated that the proposed UASEME-HPLC-PDA can be used as an alternative powerful method for the simultaneous determination of the target analytes in milk samples.     

High performance liquid chromatographic analysis of phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activities in rice varieties

The analytical method for the determination of phenolic compounds in rice varieties was developed. The method consisted of extraction of phenolic compounds from rice before analysis by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Reversed phase HPLC equipped with photodiode array detection was used and the separation condition was optimized. Under the optimum condition, twelve phenolic compounds were separated within 24 min. Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) was used to extract free phenolic compounds from rice with the optimum extraction condition of 70% methanol and extraction time of 15 min. While, bound phenolic compounds were extracted using alkaline hydrolysis for 15 min. Six varieties of Thai rice including pigment and non-pigment rice in their brown and polished forms were investigated. All of 12 phenolic compounds were detected as free phenolic compounds in all samples. Ferulic acid was the most abundant free phenolic compounds in all samples, while ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid were found as bound phenolic compounds in some samples. The content of phenolic compounds, total flavonoid and antioxidant activity detected in pigment rice and brown form were higher than non-pigment rice and polished form.     

A facile nonenzymatic electrochemical sensor based on copper oxide nanoparticles deposited on activated carbon for the highly sensitive detection of methyl parathion

Journal of Applied Electrochemistry - A facile and novel nonenzymatic electrochemical sensor for the detection of methyl parathion (MP) was developed using a glassy carbon electrode modified by...     

Preconcentration and Simultaneous Determination of Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines in Grilled Pork Samples by Ion-Pair-Based Surfactant-Assisted Dispersive Liquid-Liquid Microextraction and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

An effective ion-pair-based surfactant-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been evaluated for the extraction and preconcentration of four heterocyclic aromatic amines (i.e., 2-amino-3,4-dimethyl-3H-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (MeIQ); 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethyl-3H-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (4,8-DiMeIQx); 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP); and 1-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-B]indole (Harmane)). In the extraction method, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was used as both ion-pairing and disperser agent and 1-octanol was selected as extraction solvent. The effects of various parameters on the extraction efficiency such as kind and concentration of surfactant, kind and volume of extraction, salt addition, vortex extraction, and centrifugation time were investigated. Under the selected condition, the method provided high enrichment factor in the ranged of 124–145. Good linearity was 0.01–1000 μg kg^?1 with the correlation coefficient (R ²)?>?0.999. The limit of detection was 0.01 μg kg^?1 for all compounds. The matrix match calibration was used for quantitation of the target analytes in grilled pork samples. The proposed method was successfully applied to analysis of heterocyclic aromatic amines in grilled pork samples where good recoveries were obtained in the range of 90 and 106 %.     

Supercritical fluid generated stationary phases for liquid chromatography and capillary electrochromatography

Chromatographic silica-bonded stationary phases have been prepared using supercritical CO(2) as the reaction medium. (29)Si solid-state NMR spectra of the generated bonded silica phases show unreacted silica species Q(3) and Q(4), alongside important resonances for surface-bound ligands, T(1), T(2), and T(3). Initially, a fluorinated octyl silica (C(8)) phase was produced, by reacting (1)H,(1)H,(2)H,(2)H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane with silica particles (3 microm) in sc-CO(2) at 60 degrees C and 450 atm for 3 h. In-house-packed LC columns of this fluorinated sc-C(8) silica phase yielded typical reversed-phase behavior when a standard test mix of benzamide (k' = 1.03), benzophenone (k' = 8.11), and biphenyl (k' = 14.92) was eluted. When packed into fused-silica capillaries for CEC, this fluorinated sc-C(8) silica phase gave linear plots of log k' versus percentage MeOH for benzophenone and biphenyl and, in contrast to octyl or octadecyl silica phases, displayed selectivity for aromatic thioureas when chromatographed among a series of synthetic organic thiourea test solutes. Similarily, an octadecyl silica phase (sc-C(18) silica) was prepared by reaction of n-octadecyltriethoxysilane in sc-CO(2), packed at 9500 psi and examined by LC. The sc-C(18) silica LC column yielded high column efficiency (up to 141 000 N/m (fluorene)) and excellent asymmetry factors (1.06, fluorene) without resource to end-capping. Following a second silylating or end-capping step using hexamethyldisilazane in sc-CO(2), sc-end-capped sc-C(18) silica phases elute N,N-DMA before toluene and the toluidine isomers as a single peak, indicating lowered silanol activity according to the Engelhardt test. A rapid separation of the important pharmaceutical substances, ketoprofen, naproxen, fentoprofen, and ibuprofen, on an sc-end-capped sc-C(18) silica phase is also shown.     

Air-Agitated Cloud-Point Extraction Coupled with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography for Determination of Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines in Smoked Sausages

An air-agitated cloud-point extraction procedure (AACPE), which is a new generation of cloud-point extraction procedure, has been investigated for extraction and preconcentration of four heterocyclic amines (i.e., 2-Amino-3,4-dimethyl-3H-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (MeIQ), 2-Amino-3,4,8-trimethyl-3H-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (4,8-DiMeIQx), 2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP), and 1-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-B]indole (harmane)) prior to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In order to enhance the extraction efficiency, the mixture of the aqueous sample solution and extraction solvent (Triton X-114) was repeatedly aspirated and dispensed using a syringe. Various parameters affecting the extraction efficiency of the AACPE procedure, including type and amount of salt, concentration of Triton X-114, extraction time (or number of air agitations), and centrifugation time, were investigated. No temperature controller was necessary. Under the optimum extraction condition, the linearity was achieved between 0.005 and 1.00 mg kg^?1 with the correlation coefficient (R ²) > 0.999. The low limit of detections (LODs) ranged from 0.001 to 0.003 mg kg^?1 with high enrichment factor (EF) more than 80. Matrix-matched calibration has been used for analysis of the target analytes in real samples. The applicability of the developed procedure was successfully evaluated by the determination of the heterocyclic amines in smoked sausage samples.     

Ionic Liquid-Based Vortex-Assisted Liquid–Liquid Microextraction for Simultaneous Determination of Neonicotinoid Insecticides in Fruit Juice Samples

A simple, rapid, and effective method was developed for preconcentration of neonicotinoid insecticides including clothianidin, imidacloprid, acetamiprid, and thiacloprid in fruit juice samples. Room-temperature ionic liquids [C₄MIM][PF₆] can be used as green extractant phases in vortex-assisted liquid–liquid microextraction (VALLME), being compatible with high-performance liquid chromatographic systems. The effect of extraction parameters, including the addition of salt, volume of (C₄MIM)(PF₆), vortex time, and centrifugation time is identified as the key parameters of the method. Under the selected conditions, the high enrichment factors of 100 could be achieved with the limit of detection in the range of 0.25–0.30 ng mL^?1 and with the relative standard deviations of lower than 2.68 and 5.38 % for retention time and peak area, respectively. The proposed method was applied to the analysis of fruit juice samples, and the recoveries of the analytes ranged from 95 to 108 % and relative standard deviations were lower than 7 %. The developed method proposes advantages in reduction of the exposure danger to toxic organic solvents used in the conventional liquid–liquid extraction, simplicity of the extraction processes, rapidity, and sensitivity improvement.     

A highly selective electrochemical sensor for l‐tryptophan based on a screen‐printed carbon electrode modified with poly‐p‐phenylenediamine and CdS quantum dots

A new highly selective electrochemical sensor for the determination of l ‐tryptophan was proposed by modifying the surface of screen‐printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs). The surface of SPCE was firstly modified by electropolymerization of p‐phenylenediamine (PPD). The polymer film was then covalently linked with cysteamine capped cadmium sulfide quantum dots (Cys‐CdS QDs) by using glutaraldehyde (GA) as a cross‐linker resulted in an organic–inorganic hybrid composite film (QDs/GA/PPD/SPCE). The modified electrode was applied as a working electrode for detecting various amino acids. It was found that the modified electrode gave an electrochemical response selectively to l ‐tryptophan over other amino acids. The experimental parameters, including pH of solution, buffer types, electropolymerization cycles, scan rate, and accumulation time, were studied and optimized. The proposed sensor can be used to detect l ‐tryptophan with a low detection limit of 14.74 µmol L^?1 with good precision and the relative standard deviation less than 3.7%. The modified electrode was used to detect l ‐tryptophan in beverage samples and gave satisfactory recoveries from 91.9 to 104.9%. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40356.