High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Four Flavonols in Food Supplements and Pharmaceutical Formulations

A method using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) as a powerful separation technique has been developed for the simultaneous determination of the four flavonols rutin, quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin in food supplements and pharmaceutical formulations. The chromatographic separation was achieved in 36?min using a Symmetry C₁₈ column (250?×?3?mm; 5?µm) as the stationary phase and a mixture of methanol, acetonitrile, and pH 2.5 aqueous acetic acid as the mobile phase in gradient elution mode. The analytical wavelengths were 256?nm for rutin, quercetin and isorhamnetin, and 368?nm for kaempferol. An ultrasound-assisted extraction protocol was performed using methanol as solvent. The detection and quantification limits were lower than 0.03?µg mL^?1 and 0.08?µg mL^?1, respectively. The inter-day and intra-day precisions were less than 4.8 and 5.1%, respectively, and the average recoveries were in the range from 96 to 107%. The method was applied for the determination of the studied flavonols in food supplements and pharmaceutical preparations. The satisfactory recovery values demonstrate the potential of the developed method for the determination of the analytes in these samples. In addition, the method is suitable for routine quality control due its ease of operation.     

Purification and identification of 4-allylbenzene-1,2-diol: an antilisterial and biofilm preventing compound from the leaves of Piper betle L. var Pachaikodi

Antibiotic-resistant food-borne Listeriosis has been rising with up to 30% mortality threat in humans since several decades. Hence, discovering antilisterial from the extracts of ethnomedicinal plants may be of value as a novel antidote. In our preceding study, we reported that ethanolic extract of Piper betle L. var Pachaikodi leaves exhibited antibacterial activity towards Listeria monocytogenes MTCC 657. Consequently in the present study, the bioactive molecule responsible for anti-Listeria activity was purified and identified as 4-allylbenzene-1,2-diol. This identified bioactive compound may have significance while used as antimicrobials and/or food additives in food processing sector as evidenced by dual action: biofilm inhibition and pore formation on cell membrane.     

Novel thionin-functionalised core shell magnetic nanoparticles for dispersive solid-phase extraction of Hg(II) in food and water samples

To develop an accurate and precise method for separation and pre-concentration of Hg(II), a novel thionin functionalised core shell structure magnetic material has been prepared and characterised. The extraction ability of the material was evaluated by magnetic solid-phase extraction coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry determination of Hg(II) in food and water samples. Combining the advantages of magnetic separation with selective extraction of thionin towards Hg(II), the material exhibits enhanced enrich selectivity and efficiency for Hg(II). The experimental parameters influencing Hg(II) extraction efficiency, including pH of the aqueous solution, the dosage of the adsorbent, extraction time and sample volume, were systematically investigated. Under the optimised conditions, concentration of Hg(II) at 1.0 μg L^?1 can be successfully enriched by the material without the interference of the common co-existing ions. The enrichment factor and adsorption capacity were 250 and 75.2 mg g^?1, and precise of the method was confirmed by analysing the spiked food, water samples and standard water reference samples with the recoveries of 92.5–101.8%.     

Autonomously Propelled Motors for Value‐Added Product Synthesis and Purification

A proof‐of‐concept design for autonomous, self‐propelling motors towards value‐added product synthesis and separation is presented. The hybrid motor design consists of two distinct functional blocks. The first, a sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) granule, serves both as a reaction prerequisite for the reduction of vanillin and also as a localized solid‐state fuel in the reaction mixture. The second capping functional block consisting of a graphene–polymer composite serves as a hydrophobic matrix to attract the reaction product vanillyl alcohol (VA), resulting in facile separation of this edible value‐added product. These autonomously propelled motors were fabricated at a length scale down to 400 μm, and once introduced in the reaction environment showed rapid bubble‐propulsion followed by high‐purity separation of the reaction product (VA) by the virtue of the graphene–polymer cap acting as a mesoporous sponge. The concept has excellent potential towards the synthesis/isolation of industrially important compounds, affinity‐based product separation, pollutant remediation (such as heavy metal chelation/adsorption), as well as localized fuel‐gradients as an alternative to external fuel dependency.     

The affinity of histamine to serum albumin: Capillary electrophoresis-frontal analysis and in-silico molecular docking approaches

Histamine is a biogenic amine found in various body tissues and responsible for many critical vital activities. It is also responsible for allergic reactions in the body. Ingestion of foods containing high amounts of histamine can cause fatal allergic reactions. Albumin in plasma controls drugs and free concentrations of bioactive constituents taken to the body with food. Hence, this study aimed to characterise the interactions of histamine with bovine serum albumin. Capillary electrophoresis in the frontal analysis mode was employed in this study as a practical approach for assessing histamine-bovine serum albumin affinity. The plateau-shaped free histamine peak was well separated from the bovine serum albumin (BSA)-histamine complex peak. The free histamine concentration was obtained by following the height of the free histamine peak. Whereas the bound histamine concentrations were obtained by calculating the difference between the height of total and free histamine peaks. Histamine bound to BSA at one independent site with a K_b value of 2.50 × 10³ L/mol. Moreover, an in-silico molecular docking method was performed, and it was revealed that the binding site of histamine was located closer to Lysine-131 in subdomain IIA of bovine serum albumin.     

Modern automated microextraction procedures for bioanalytical,environmental, and food analyses

Sample preparation frequently is considered the most critical stage of the analytical workflow. It affects the analytical throughput and costs; moreover, it is the primary source of error and possible sample contamination. To increase efficiency, productivity, and reliability, while minimizing costs and environmental impacts, miniaturization and automation of sample preparation are necessary. Nowadays, several types of liquid-phase and solid-phase microextractions are available, as well as different automatization strategies. Thus, this review summarizes recent developments in automated microextractions coupled with liquid chromatography, from 2016 to 2022. Therefore, outstanding technologies and their main outcomes, as well as miniaturization and automation of sample preparation, are critically analyzed. Focus is given to main microextraction automation strategies, such as flow techniques, robotic systems, and column-switching approaches, reviewing their applications to the determination of small organic molecules in biological, environmental, and food/beverage samples.     

增敏剂改进超级微波消解-电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICP-MS)法测定食品中硒元素

合适比例增敏剂会对超级微波消解-电感耦合等离子体质谱法(ICP-MS)测定食品中硒元素含量具有一定的优化效果。本文采用超级微波消解仪对1.0 g食品样品进行全消解,采用碰撞池模式规避质谱干扰,内标校正非质谱干扰,选择甲醇、乙醇、乙酸、异丙醇、丙三醇作为增敏剂,并调整测试过程中的添加比例,用电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定。结果表明：2%异丙醇存在时硒元素各同位素响应值最高,其中78Se具有低至0.0003 mg·kg-1的方法检出限;用以上方法对食品标准物质（GSB-8、GSB-9、GSB-24、GSB-30）及实际样品进行分析,标准物质测定值均在其认定值及不确定度范围内,相对误差小于-5.4%;实际样品测定值的相对标准偏差（n=7,RSD）为0.3~1.7%,加标回收率为99.2~105%。本方法操作简便,精密度好,准确度高,可以作为各类食品样品中硒含量测试方法。     

微流控芯片电泳在食品安全与环境污染检测中的应用

微流控芯片电泳具有样品和试剂消耗量小、分析速度快、分离效率高以及便于微型化等特点,特别适合于食品安全和环境污染相关的现场快速检测。该文综述了微流控芯片电泳技术在食品安全与环境污染检测方面的研究进展,着重介绍了该技术在食品中有害物质残留、非法食品添加剂以及环境样品中有害无机离子、有机污染物等目标物检测方面的典型应用实例,在此基础上初步讨论了微流控芯片电泳走向实际应用面临的问题和可能的解决办法。     

液相色谱-串联质谱法测定食品中甜味剂和抗氧化剂

建立了液相色谱-四级杆飞行时间串联质谱联用技术同时测定4种甜味剂(安赛蜜、糖精钠、甜蜜素、阿斯巴甜)及2种抗氧化剂(叔丁基对苯二酚、丁基羟基茴香醚)的方法.试验采用Extend-C18色谱柱分离与ESI(-)检测,以乙腈-1 mmol/L乙酸铵为流动相梯度洗脱,在6 min内实现6种目标物的快速分离,检测限为0.250 0~5.00 0 ng/m L,日间精密度小于10.71%(n=3),液态样品平均回收率为83.24%~118.3%.方法准确、灵敏,可快速检测食品中的甜味剂和抗氧化剂.     

初中化学“酸和碱的性质”创意教学*——探析食品发热包

以食品发热包为主题情境,通过探析发热包成分、解密发热原理、计算原料配比、配制发热包等环节梳理酸和碱的性质、用途。从元素观、转化观的视角认识物质转化规律,体现物质研究的一般思路,凸显科学探究的基本过程。通过设计方案测定发热包中碳酸钠的含量,总结混合物成分鉴定及定量测定的方法;归纳气体定量测定的影响因素。呈现一堂学科观念、学科方法教学具体课例,凸显物质研究、定性检验、定量测定的基本方法。