A flow-injection system with amperometric detection for selective determination of antioxidants in foodstuffs and drinks

Amperometric detection in flow-injection systems intended for total determination of antioxidants (flavonoids, oxyaromatic acids, etc.) in various foodstuffs (berries, fruit, vegetables) and drinks (wine, tea, coffee, cognac, beer, etc.) was described and discussed. Advantages of this method were demonstrated. These measurements can underlie building of a bank of data on the content of antioxidants in foodstuffs and drinks.     

Indirect determination of bromide by diffusion flow injection analysis with amperometric detection

Summary A rapid, indirect diffusion flow injection analysis (FIA) method with amperometric detection has been developed for the selective and sensitive determination of Br^–. The method is based on permanganate oxidation of Br^– to bromine. Bromine diffuses through a PTFE membrane and is quantified amperometrically at a platinum working electrode. Calibration graphs were linear up to the maximum concentration of Br^– investigated (10.0 mmol/l). The precision of the technique was better than a relative standard deviation of 0.7% at 10.0 mol/l, with a throughput of 30 samples per hour. The effects of temperature, acidity, working potential, composition of the reagent solution and interferents on the FIA signals were studied. The catalytic effect of Cl^– on the permanganate oxidation of the analyte was utilized to lower the detection limit to 1 mol/l (16 ng Br^–). Similar detection limits were achieved by combining the effects of higher acidity (4.0 mol/l H₂SO₄) and elevated temperatures (40°C). The method was successfully applied to the determination of Br^– in chloride and other reagents, as well as in natural waters.     

Determination of myo-inositol in a flow-injection system with co-immobilized enzyme reactors and amperometric detection

A selective and sensitive flow-injection system for the determination of myo-inositol (hexahydroxycyclohexane) is described. Inositol dehydrogenase, IDH, lactate dehydrogenase, LDH, and lactate oxidase, LOD, are co-immobilized on porous glass and used in a packed-bed enzyme reactor. myo-Inositol reacts to produce an equivalent amount of hydrogen peroxide, which oxidizes hexacyanoferrate(II) to hexacyanoferrate(III) in a second reactor containing immobilized peroxidase. The hexacyanoferrate(III) is then detected amperometrically at 0 mV vs. SCE in a flow-through detector. The system responds linearly to injected samples of myo-inositol (25 μl) in the concentration range 1–300 μM. The maximum throughput was 90 samples per hour. The IDH/LDH/LOD reactor was stable for at least 5 weeks.     

Sunflower leaves tissue-based bioelectrode with amperometric flow-injection system for glycolic acid determination in urine

A novel plant tissue-based bioelectrode obtained by incorporating sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) leaves tissue as a source of glycolate oxidase and peroxidase into a ferrocene-mediated carbon paste electrode for the determination of glycolic acid was developed. It was coupled with the flow-injection (FI) system and used as the basis to develop a novel FI amperometric procedure for glycolic acid determination. The flow-injection amperometric measurements were performed by injecting aliquot of glycolic acid solution into the flowing stream of 0.05 mol L⁻¹ of phosphate buffer solution having pH 8.0 with a flow rate of 0.3 mL min⁻¹. The bioelectrode consisted of 20% (w/w) of sunflower leaves tissue and 5% (w/w) of ferrocene at 0.00 V (vs Ag/AgCl). The bioelectrode exhibited a linear response from 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ up to 2.0 × 10⁻³ mol L⁻¹ glycolic acid with a detection limit (S/N = 3) and a quantitation limit (S/N = 10) of 1 × 10⁻⁶ and 3.3 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹, respectively. The sampling rate of 12 h⁻¹ and a relative standard deviation of 1.67% (n = 15) were achieved. The bioelectrode response decreased to 70% of the original value within 90 continuous injections. The proposed bioelectrode was satisfactorily applied to glycolic acid determination in human urine samples after appropriate sample pretreatment. Results obtained by the FI method were compared favorably with those obtained by HPLC. It offers advantages, which included rapidity, high activity, limited stability, ease of preparation and low cost.     

Voltammetric/amperometric detection for flow-injection systems

A dual-electrode voltammetric/amperometric detector for flow-injection systems is described. The detector provides qualitative voltammetric information without the charging currents associated with scanning the potential. Selectivity is enhanced relative to direct voltammetric detection at a single electrode because only chemically reversible redox couples are detected. A preliminary evaluation with hexacyanoferrate(III) and ascorbic acid is presented.     

Simultaneous determination of sulfite and phosphate in wine by means of immobilized enzyme reactions and amperometric detection in a flow-injection system

A flow-injection system is proposed for the simultaneous determination of sulfite and phosphate in wine. A sulfite oxidase immobilized reactor and purine nucleoside phosphorylase-xanthine oxidase co-immobilized reactor are incorporated at fixed positions (parallel configuration) in the flow line, which is based on the splitting of the flow after sample injection and subsequent confluence. A poly(1,2-diaminobenzene)-coated platinum electrode is used as an amperometric detector to detect selectively hydrogen peroxide generated enzymatically in the enzyme reactors, without any interference from oxidizable species and proteins present in wine. Because each channel has a different residence time, two peaks are obtained. The first peak corresponds to sulfite and the second peak to phosphate. The peak current is linearly related to the concentrations of sulfite between 1 × 10⁻⁵ and 2 × 10⁻³M and phosphate between 2 × 10⁻⁵ and 5 × 10⁻³M. The simultaneous determination of sulfite and phosphate in wine can be performed at a rate of 30 samples/hr with satisfactory precision (less than 1.2% RSD) and no pretreatment except for the sample dilution.     

Indirect atomic absorption spectrometric determination of perchlorate by liquid-liquid extraction in a flow-injection system

The determination is based on the continuous liquid-liquid extraction of the copper(I)/6-methylpicolinealdehyde azine/perchlorate ion-pair into 4-methyl-2-pentanone in a flow-injection manifold. The organic fills a loop of an injector situated in an integrated feed system of an atomic absorption spectrometer. Measurement of the copper atomic absorption signal from the organic phase allows the indirect determination of 0.5–5 μg ml^?1 perchlorate, giving a 3-fold increase in sensitivity over the conventional spectrophotometric method. The detection limit is 70 ng ml^?1. The sampling frequency is 45 ± 5 h^?1. The method is highly selective, and has been used for the determination of perchlorate added to serum and urine samples.     

The spectrophotometric determination of iron(III) in a flow-injection system with a mixed solvent

A fast and sensitive flow-injection procedure is described for the determination of iron(III). The complexing agent is ammonium diisopropyldithiophosphate in a 1:1 (v/v) isopropanol/water carrier stream. The linear range is 0.05–15 mg 1^?1 iron(III) with a detection limit of 0.01 mg 1^?1 and the injection rate is about 400 h^?1.     

Cross-correlation in flow-injection analysis with parallel flow streams and amperometric detection

Cross-correlation was implemented for flow-injection analysis by using two parallel flow lines, each with amperometric detectors, and driven by peristaltic pumps. One flow line was used to generate the reference signal for an analog correlator circuit and the other to generate the analyte signal. Cross-correlation was performed by multiplying these signals together at a time delay of zero, followed by low pass filtering. Using dopamine as a test system, improvements in signal-to-noise ratios of about two orders of magnitude were found for the correlation signal over the direct measurement of the electrode current.     

A flow-injection system for the amperometric determination of xylose and xylulose with co-immobilized enzymes and a modified electrode

A flow-injection system is described for the detection of xylose and xylulose. The detection is based on three successive reactions taking place in an enzyme reactor containing xylose isomerase, mutarotase and glucose dehydrogenase co-immobilized on controlled-pore glass. The final product, NADH, is electrocatalytically oxidized at 0 mV vs. SCE at a chemically modified electrode. Straight calibration graphs for the two pentoses were obtained between 50 μM and 2 mM. The maximal sample throughput was 30 h^?1.     

Photometric and amperometric flow-injection determination of triazolam and clotiazepam

Triazolam and clotiazepam can be determined by flow-injection analysis with photometric and amperometric detection. With photometric detection, the signals are a linear function of the drug concentration from 3 to 55muM (lambda = 228 nm) for triazolam and from 31 to 502muM (lambda = 390 nm) and from 6 to 125muM (lambda = 260 nm) for clotiazepam. FIA systems with amperometric detection allow the determination of these drugs in the range 6-116muM (triazolam) and 16-162muM (clotiazepam).     

Selective flow-injection determination of residual chlorine at low levels by amperometric detection with two polarized platinum electrodes

Flow-injection amperometry with two polarized platinum electrodes is used for the determination of residual chlorine based on the oxidation of iodide. Interferences of iron(III), copper(II), nitrite and atmospheric oxygen are eliminated in the proposed procedure. The detection limit for residual chlorine is 2 μg l^?1 at a sampling rate of 120 h^?1; linear calibration graphs are obtained up to 0.8 mg 1^?1. A method for the simultaneous flow-injection determination of residual chlorine and copper(II) is also proposed.     

Optimization of a flow injection system with amperometric detection for arsenic determination.

A selective and sensitive analytical procedure for rapid arsenic determination by gas-diffusion flow injection analysis with amperometric detection was developed. The method is based on the arsenite reduction by NaBH(4). Derived arsine diffuses through a PTF membrane into the acceptor flow stream and is amperometrically determined on a platinum working electrode. The limit of detection (3 sigma) at room temperature was 5 microg/dm(3) of As(III). The relative standard deviation for a 1 mg/dm(3) As(III) standard was 1.96% for six repetitive injections. Arsenic(V) was determined after its prereduction with potassium iodide. Arsenic determination was not interferred with by 1 mg/dm(3) Sb(III), 5 mg/dm(3) Sn(II), 10 mg/dm(3) Se(IV), 1 mg/dm(3) As(V), 1 mg/dm(3) hydrasine, 1 mg/dm(3) Fe(II) or 0.5 mg/dm(3) Fe(III) solution. The throughput of this method was 60 analyses per hour. This method was successfully applied to arsenic determination in some power plant waste water samples.     

Simultaneous determination of iron and zinc by pH gradient construction in a flow-injection system

A flow-injection method for the simultaneous determination of iron and zinc in the human hair with 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (5-Br-PADAP) using a pH gradient technique has been developed. The linear range for the determination of iron is 0.1 approximately 1.8 mug ml(-1) and for zinc is 0.2 approximately 5.0 mug ml(-1). About 20 approximately 30 samples can be determined in 1 h. The proposed method is simple, rapid and accurate. It has been applied to the simultaneous determination of trace amounts of iron and zinc in the human hair with satisfactory results.     

Indirect determination of alkaline phosphatase based on the amperometric detection of indigo carmine at a screen-printed electrode in a flow system.

Amperometric analysis of indigo carmine at a bare screen-printed electrode placed in an FIA system is reported. This compound is easily detected at a potential of -0.3 V (vs. Ag pseudo-reference electrode) without observing any fouling of the electrode surface, thus allowing the repetitive use of the same electrode in a reproducible manner (coefficients of variation down to 7% for more than 20 consecutive determinations). A linear range of three orders of magnitude and a limit of detection in the sub-micromolar range were attained for this molecule. Based on these studies, indirect amperometric measurements of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in solution were easily carried out using 3-indoxyl phosphate substrate. Its hydrolysis catalyzed by ALP gave rise to indigo product. This product is insoluble in aqueous solutions but it was easily converted into its soluble parent compound, indigo carmine, by addition of fuming sulfuric acid to the reaction media. Using this approach, we achieved a linear range of more than one order of magnitude and a limit of detection of 1 U/l ALP, for an enzymatic reaction time of 60 min.     

Extraction-spectrophotometric determination of anionic surfactants with a flow-injection system

Anionic surfactants are preconcentrated from 5-ml samples by extraction as the ion-pair with ethyl violet into toluene. The absorbance of aliquots of the toluene phase is measured at 610 nm in a flow-injection system. A phase converter is located prior to the injection valve to convert a water stream to, pumped with ordinary pump tubing, to a toluene stream. The working range was 0.01–1.0 mg l^?1 and the reproductibility (r.s.d, n = 10) was 2% for 0.4 mg l^?1 sodium dodecyl sulphate. The non-aqueous flow-injection system serves to miniaturize the extraction from separatory funnel (200 ml) to test tube (10 ml) scale without loss of precision or validity.     

Spectrophotometric determination of iron with ferrozine by flow-injection analysis

Two methods for the determination of iron by normal FIA and reversed FIA were developed using sodium 3-(2-pyridyl)-5,6-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazine-4',4'-disulphonate (ferrozine). The reagent formed a chelate with Fe(II) in hexamethylentetramine buffered medium at pH 5.5. In one previous reaction coil Fe(III) was reduced to Fe(II) by ascorbic acid and in the other reaction coil the complexation reaction was developed. The linear range of the determination was 0.5-6 and 0.1-5 mug ml(-1) of iron for normal FIA and reversed FIA respectively. The proposed method was sensitive (detection limit 0.012 and 0.010 mug ml(-1)), rapid and reproducible (RSD 0.3 and 0.28%). The method was satisfactorily applied to the determination of iron in waste water, toadstool tissue, potato leaves, human hair and bauxites at a sampling rate of 90 and 50 samples h(-1) for normal FIA and reversed FIA respectively.     

Indirect spectrophotometric determination of ascorbic acid with ferrozine by flow-injection analysis

A FIA indirect spectrophotometric determination of ascorbic acid was developed using its reducing action on Fe(III) in acidic medium and following the spectrophotometric determination of the reduced iron by using sodium 3-(2-pyridyl)-5,6-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazine-4',4'-disulphonate (ferrozine) as chromogenic reagent in buffered medium (pH 5.5) and monitoring the absorbance signal at 562 nm. A three-line manifold with two reaction coils was used: in the first reaction coil, ascorbic acid reduces Fe(III) to Fe(II); and in the second one, the complexation reaction is developed. The linear range of the method was 0.5-10 mug ml(-1) of ascorbic acid, the detection limit being 0.028 mug ml(-1). The proposed method was sensitive, rapid (sampling rate of 90 samples h(-1)) and reproducible (RSD 0.19%, n=10). Satisfactory results were obtained in the determination of ascorbic acid in pharmaceutical preparations, fruit juices and urine testifying the applicability of the method to real samples.     

Indirect potentiometric flow-injection determination of silver in photographic fixing solutions

The thiosulfate present in fixing solutions was destroyed on-line by acidification and the undissolved gaseous products were separated from the flow stream by use of polytetrafluoroethylene microporous tubing. The silver was precipitated with an excess of sulfide, and the excess was measured with a silver/silver sulfide electrode. Silver was determined in several ranges from 1 mg 1^?1 to 10 g l^?1.     

Differential amperometric determination of hydrogen peroxide in honeys using flow-injection analysis with enzymatic reactor

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) present in honey was rapidly determined by the differential amperometric method in association with flow-injection analysis (FIA) and a tubular reactor containing immobilized enzymes. A gold electrode modified by electrochemical deposition of platinum was employed as working electrode. Hydrogen peroxide was quantified in 14 samples of Brazilian commercial honeys using amperometric differential measurements at +0.60V vs. Ag/AgCl((sat)). For the enzymatic consumption of H2O2, a tubular reactor containing immobilized peroxidase was constructed using an immobilization of enzymes on Amberlite IRA-743 resin. The linear dynamic range in H2O2 extends from 1 to 100 x 10(-6) mol L(-1), at pH 7.0. At flow rate of 2.0 mL min(-1) and injecting 150 microL sample volumes, the sampling frequency of the 90 determinations per hour is afforded. This method is based on three steps involving the flow-injection of: (1) the sample spiked with a standard solution, (2) the pure sample and (3) the enzymatically treated sample with peroxidase immobilized. The reproducibility of the current peaks for hydrogen peroxide in 10(-5) mol L(-1) range concentration showed a relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) better than 1%. The detection limit of this method is 2.9 x 10(-7) mol L(-1). The honey samples analyses were compared with the parallel spectrophotometric determination, and showed an excellent correlation between the methods.