Optimisation of gradient HPLC analysis of phenolic compounds and flavonoids in beer using a coularray detector

A method was developed for simultaneous analysis of natural antioxidants in beer using multichannel electrochemical detection with a CoulArray detector, which enables selective and sensitive antioxidant detection in gradient HPLC and facilitates the identification of analytes based on the ratios of signals recorded at different potentials applied to the detection cells arranged in series. The separation conditions were optimised for 27 phenolic compounds including derivatives of benzoic and cinnamic acids, flavones, and a few related glycosides identified in beer samples. Separation selectivities of 11 columns with different stationary phase chemistries were compared, and the pH and gradient programs were optimised for the individual columns to provide best resolution and high number of resolved peaks, using the window-diagram approach. The effects of pH on the sensitivity of electrochemical coulometric detection were considered in the optimisation approach. The optimised conditions were applied to the analysis of real beer samples.     

Analysis of phenolic compounds in spruce needle extracts using an UV-VIS-diode array detector

Summary High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, using a photodiode-array detector, was applied to the investigation of plant extracts for polyphenolic compounds. Simultaneous detection at different wavelengths and measurement of the UV spectrum of each separated compound during the elution allows an easy and rapid identification of the derivatives of benzoic acid, o-coumaric acid, p-hydroxyacetophenone, stilbenes and flavonoide compounds as well as several catechins. However, as some of these compounds have closely related structures, a characterization by their UV-spectra is insufficient. Hydrolysis with hydrochloric acid and enzymes results in the formation of their monomeric non glycosidated compounds as well as in an increase of the peak area assigned to the monomeric compounds. This technique was applied for the phenol analysis of purified spruce needle extracts of picea abies species.

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Analyse phenolischer Fichtennadelinhaltsstoffe unter Verwendung eines UV-VIS-Dioden-Array-Detektors

     

Determination limits in high-performance liquid chromatography of plant phenolic compounds with an ultraviolet detector

The capabilities of high-performance liquid chromatography (h.p.l.c.) for the determination of phenolic compounds in 80% ethanol extracts from plant material are described. A reversed-phase column was used and elution was done with a linear gradient from 0.01 M phosphoric acid up to methanol. The efficiency of the method was studied via determination limits, defined as the minimum concentration of a compound (μg of compound per gram of extracted dry plant material) necessary to provide 90% probability that the relative error on the determination of the compound in an extract from a plant sample taken at random is < 10%. These limits take into account matrix interferences as a source of error, and were calculated with a minicomputer for the determination of 19 phenolic compounds in plant extracts. For good determinations, the concentrations of the components should be in the range 1–10 mg g^?1 of dry plant material. Separating the extracts into different chemical groups (on ion-exchange materials) prior to h.p.l.c. decreases the determination limits about five times. The dependence of determination limits on the u.v. characteristics of the compound, the sample clean-up, and the column characteristics are discussed quantitatively by means of a simple empirical equation.     

Simultaneous determination of phenolic acids and flavonoids in rice using solid-phase extraction and RP-HPLC with photodiode array detection

An analytical method based on an optimized solid-phase extraction procedure and followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation with diode array detection was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of phenolic acids (gallic, protocatechuic, 4-hydroxy-benzoic, vanillic, caffeic, syringic, p-coumaric, ferulic, sinapic, and cinnamic acids), flavanols (catechin and epicatechin), flavonols (myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, hyperoside, and rutin), flavones (luteolin and apigenin) and flavanones (naringenin and hesperidin) in rice flour (Oryza sativa L.). Chromatographic separation was carried out on a PerfectSil Target ODS-3 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 3 μm) column at temperature 25°C using a mobile phase, consisting of 0.5% (v/v) acetic acid in water, methanol, and acetonitrile at a flow rate 1 mL min(-1) , under gradient elution conditions. Application of optimum extraction conditions, elaborated on both Lichrolut C(18) and Oasis HLB cartridges, have led to extraction of phenolic acids and flavonoids from rice flour with mean recoveries 84.3-113.0%. The developed method was validated in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, stability, and sensitivity. Repeatability (n = 5) and inter-day precision (n = 4) revealed relative standard deviation (RSD) <13%. The optimized method was successfully applied to the analysis of phenolic acids and flavonoids in pigmented (red and black rice) and non-pigmented rice (brown rice) samples.     

On-line coupling of capillary isotachophoresis and zone electrophoresis for the assay of phenolic compounds in plant extracts

The combination of capillary isotachophoresis (ITP) and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) in the column coupling configuration was optimized in a mode where the electrolyte for the CZE step is different from the leading and terminating ITP electrolytes. Two colored markers, picric acid and 1-nitroso-2-naphthol, were used for exact timing of the transfer of isotachophoretically stacked analyte zones into the CZE column and for the control of the residual amount of the leading and terminating ITP electrolytes entering the CZE capillary together with the analytes, thus controlling the duration of transient ITP migration in the CZE capillary and ensuring good separation of the analytes and reproducibility of the migration times (relative standard deviations 1%). ITP-CZE was applied to the simultaneous assay of several cinnamic acid derivatives and flavonoids in methanolic extracts of Sambucus flowers and Crataegus leaves and flowers. The preconcentrating and cleansing effect of the ITP step allowed injection of relatively large sample volumes (30 microL). The limits of detection were approximately 20-50 ng x mL(-1) and 100 ng x mL(-1) for the acids and flavonoids, respectively ( thick similar 200-times lower compared to conventional CE) with spectrophotometric detection at 254 nm. The ITP-CZE exhibited satisfactory linearity and precision when using CZE buffer of pseudo "pH" 9.0; 1-nitroso-2-naphthol was employed as the internal standard. The separation took approximately 35 min. The ITP-CZE results for rutin, hyperoside, and vitexin-2-O"-rhamnoside were in good accordance with those obtained previously by high-performance liquid chromatography.     

Development of a rapid resolution HPLC method for the separation and determination of 17 phenolic compounds in crude plant extracts

Rapid Resolution HPLC/DAD method, on a 1.8 μm, 4.6×50 mm column, was developed to enable a rapid separation of a mixture of 17 compounds, which consisted of hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, flavones, flavonols, flavanone, flavonol-glycoside and antraquinone, in a single run, within 22 minutes. The developed method is precise, accurate and sensitive enough for simultaneous quantitative evaluation of major compounds in crude and hydrolyzed extracts of parsley, buckthorn, mint, caraway and birch. In order to overcome the inability to quantify all the phenolic compounds present in the samples caused by lack of external standards, HPLC approaches for the total phenolic content estimation based on sum of all integrated peak areas were made. These results were compared with the total phenolic content determined by Folin-Cioacalteu method. Although the correlation between the series of data was not significant (p<0.05), the difference between the results of total phenolic content obtained spectrophotometrically and by HPLC was not high in the case of parsley, buckthorn and mint extract. Regarding the obtained results, the HPLC approach could serve as an excellent tool for total phenolic content estimation, without the need for complete identification of the individual compounds.      

Capillary zone electrophoretic determination of phenolic compounds in chess (Bromus inermis L.) plant extracts

A simple CZE method for quantification of phenolic compounds (vanillin, cinnamic, sinapic, chlorogenic, syringic, ferulic, benzoic, p-coumaric, vanillic, p-hydroxybenzoic, rosmarinic, caffeic, gallic and protocatechuic acids) in less than 10 min using 20 mM sodium tetraborate (pH 9.2) with 5% v/v methanol as a BGE and with UV detection at 254 nm is described. The LODs (3 S/N) ranged between 0.02 and 0.12 microg/ mL. Repeatabilities (RSDs) were 0.66-1.8 and 1.56-4.23% for migration times and peak areas (n = 5), respectively. The method was applied to the determination of phenolic compounds in chess (Bromus inermis L.) after Soxhlet extraction and purification of the crude extracts with SPE procedures. The results compared well with those obtained by liquid chromatographic method. B. inermis was found as a suitable model plant containing a broad spectrum of phenolic compounds in easily detectable concentrations and as a potential source of antioxidants.     

Identification of active compounds from medicinal plant extracts using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and multivariate data analysis

Conventional methods of drug discovery from natural products include bioassay-guided fractionation, which is tedious and has low efficiency. The aim of this work is to develop a platform method to rapidly identify bioactive compounds from crude plant extracts and their partially purified fractions using multivariate data analysis (MVDA). Soxhlet extraction and liquid-liquid fractionation were used to prepare different extracts and fractions from the leaves of a medicinal plant, Ardisia elliptica. The extracts and fractions were analysed chemically using GC-MS, and their ability to inhibit platelet aggregation was investigated. Two MVDA methods were developed and optimised to analyse the results. In the first method, compounds with the highest contribution scores for biological activity calculated by different models were listed as potential antiplatelet compounds. For the second MVDA method, a correlation of the concentrations of constituents and biological activities in the various extracts and fractions for each compound was done. Compounds with the highest correlation coefficients were identified as potential antiplatelet compounds. One of the predicted components was isolated, purified and confirmed to possess antiplatelet effects. This platform method can be developed and optimised for other plant extracts and biological activities, thus reducing time and cost of drug discovery while improving efficiency.     

Quantitative gas chromatographic analysis of perhalogenated compounds using a flame lonization detector

Summary In the determination of several perhalogenated compounds after gas chromatographic separation on an Apiezon L column, using a flame ionization detector, all the compounds tested gave linear area-mass plots although the coefficients observed do not lead to extrapolations which would permit quantitation of perhalogenated compounds for which no standard is available. Of the compounds tested, dibromodichloromethane, tetrachloroethene and tetrabromoethene gave good linear correlations of area ratio-mass ratio (using n-decane as the internal standard). Bromotrichloromethane and tetrabromomethane gave continuously curving area ratio-mass ratio plots which were very reproducible and could be used for graphical interpolation.     

Hydrolysis and redox factors affecting analysis of common phenolic marker compounds in botanical extracts and finished products

Many of the marker compounds analyzed in herbal products are redox-active phenolic molecules, which are commonly found in plants as components of glycosides and starch polymers. Variability in degree of sample hydrolysis can occur due to differences in water content, pH, and temperature. Sonication versus shaking during extraction can also influence hydrolysis and oxidation of sensitive compounds. Some traditional botanical extract marker compounds are esters and glycosides of phenolics such as echinacoside from Echinacea while others are free phenolics, such as quercetin from glycosides in Ginkgo. Optimizing hydrolysis conditions maximizes free quercetin levels, but lowers echinacoside levels. Furthermore, acidic hydrolysis conditions mimic stomach conditions encountered by oral supplements and protect resulting free phenolics from oxidation. Oxidative degradation of botanical phenolic markers can be initiated by light, sonication, oxygen, basic pH conditions, heat, redox-active solvents, and formulation additives. Some phenolic markers reversibly cycle through multiple oxidation states creating a formula-specific equilibrium of oxidation states. Finished product formulations that include easily oxidized phenolics, carbonates, phosphates, and transition metals affect sample hydrolysis degree and redox equilibria, and quantitation. By recognizing and controlling hydrolysis and oxidation variables, more accurate and rugged methods can be developed allowing for improved botanical standardization and finished product analysis.     

Stability of Se species in plant extracts rich in phenolic substances

Since there is growing awareness of the strong dependence of the antioxidative function of selenium (Se) upon its chemical form, the stability of Se species during sample preparation is an important factor in obtaining qualitative and quantitative results. Many plant samples are rich in phenolic compounds (antioxidants), but data about their effect on specific Se species in extracts of plant samples are scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the most common phenolic substances in plant parts, namely tannin and the flavonoid rutin, on the concentration and/or transformation of several Se species (SeMet, SeCys₂, SeMeSeCys, Se(VI) and Se(IV)) during sample preparation (24 h incubation at 37 °C) and storage (4 days at 4 °C). Moreover, the effect observed was then studied in a real sample, buckwheat, because this plant is known as a rich source of phenolics, especially tannin and rutin. Se speciation was carried out by on-line coupling of ion-exchange HPLC-ICP-MS after water and enzymatic (protease) hydrolysis. The results showed that the ratio between the two antioxidants has an important role. When the antioxidants were present together, the response for Se(IV) was observed to start to decrease only at a ratio of rutin to tannin of 1:100 (w/w), indicating the ratio between antioxidants in buckwheat seeds. After water extraction, only 40% and after enzymatic extraction 80% of Se(IV) remained, but no other Se compound was detected with the system used. Furthermore, the extracts were not stable during storage at 4 °C. Signals for other Se species were stable. The results obtained for buckwheat seeds showed a decrease in Se(IV) response during sample preparation and storage, comparable to the one obtained with the experiments performed in vitro. However, Se species in extracts of other buckwheat parts (leaves, stems and sprouts) were stable. These results indicate that reactions in the extraction process and during storage may affect Se speciation and may result in misidentifications and inaccurate values.     

Flow injection chemiluminescence analysis of phenolic compounds using the NCS-luminol system

A flow injection system coupled with two simple and sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) methods is described for the determination of some phenolic compounds. The methods are based on the inhibition effects of the investigated phenols on the CL signal intensities of N-chlorosuccinimide-KI-luminol (NCS-KI-luminol) and NCS-luminol systems. The influences of the chemical and hydrodynamic parameters on the decrease in CL signal intensities of NCS-KI-luminol and NCS-luminol systems for hydroquinone, catechol, and resorcinol, serving as the model compounds of analyte, were studied in the flow injection mode of analysis. Under the selected conditions, the proposed CL systems were used for the determination of some phenolic compound and analytical characteristics of the systems including calibration equation, correlation coefficient, linear dynamic range, limit of detection, and sample throughput. The limits of detection for hydroquinone, catechol, and resorcinol were 0.002, 0.01, and 0.3 μM using the NCS-KI-luminol system; for the NCS-luminol system these were 0.01, 0.17, and 1.6 μM, respectively. The relative standard deviation for 10 repeated measurements of 0.04, 0.06, and 1 μM of hydroquinone, catechol, and resorcinol were 1.9, 1.4, and 2.0%, respectively, with the NCS-KI-luminol system; for 0.2, 0.5, and 4 μM of hydroquinone, catechol, and resorcinol these were 2.6, 2.2, and 3.7%, respectively, using the NCS-luminol system. The method was applied to the determination of catechol in known environmental water samples with a relative error of less than 6%. A possible reaction mechanism of the proposed CL system is discussed briefly.      

Determination of phenolic compounds derived from hydrolysable tannins in biological matrices by RP-HPLC

An RP-HPLC method for the determination of four phenolic compounds: gallic acid (GA), pyrogallol (PY), resorcinol (RE) and ellagic acid (EA), derived from hydrolysable tannins is reported. Separation was achieved on a SunFire C18 (250 x 4.6 mm id, 5 microm) column at 40 degrees C with gradient elution. UV detection at 280 nm was applied. The developed method was validated in terms of linearity, accuracy and precision. Satisfactory repeatability and between day precision were noticed with RSD values lower than 3%. Recoveries from different biological samples ranged from 91.50 to 105.25%. The LODs were estimated as 1.70 mg/L for PY, 1.68 mg/L for GA, 1.52 mg/L for RE and 0.98 mg/L for EA with a 20 microL injection volume. The method was applied for the determination of these compounds in oak leaves and in ruminal fluid and urine samples taken from beef cattle fed with oak leaves. The proposed method could be used in ruminant nutrition studies to verify the effect that a diet rich in tannins have on ruminal fermentation and to determine the toxicity of these compounds.     

Bioactive compounds, RP-HPLC analysis of phenolics, and antioxidant activity of some Portuguese shrub species extracts

In the ecosystem of Serra Da Estrela, some plant species have the potential to be used as raw material for extraction of bioactive products. The goal of this work was to determine the phenolic, flavonoid, tannin and alkaloid contents of the methanolic extracts of some shrubs (Echinospartum ibericum, Pterospartum tridentatum, Juniperus communis, Ruscus aculeatus, Rubus ulmifolius, Hakea sericea, Cytisus multiflorus, Crataegus monogyna, Erica arborea and Ipomoea acuminata), and then to correlate the phenolic compounds and flavonoids with the antioxidant activity of each extract. The Folin-Ciocalteu's method was used for the determination of total phenols, and tannins were then precipitated with polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP); a colorimetric method with aluminum chloride was used for the determination of flavonoids, and a Dragendorff's reagent method was used for total alkaloid estimation. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and beta-carotene bleaching tests were used to assess the antioxidant activity of extracts. The identification of phenolic compounds present in extracts was performed using RP-HPLC. A positive linear correlation between antioxidant activity index and total phenolic content of methanolic extracts was observed. The RP-HPLC procedure showed that the most common compounds were ferulic and ellagic acids and quercetin. Most of the studied shrubs have significant antioxidant properties that are probably due to the existence of phenolic compounds in the extracts. It is noteworthy to emphasize that for Echinospartum ibericum, Hakea sericea and Ipomoea acuminata, to the best of our knowledge, no phytochemical studies have been undertaken nor their use in traditional medicine been described.     

Determination of phenolic acids in plant extracts using CZE with on‐line transient isotachophoretic preconcentration

A novel transient ITP–CZE for preconcentration and determination of seven phenolic acids (caffeic acid, cinnamic acid, p‐coumaric acid, ferulic acid, protocatechuic acid, syringic acid, and vanilic acid) was developed and validated. Effects of several factors such as control of EOF, pH and buffer concentration, addition of organic solvents and CDs, and conditions for sample injection were investigated. Sample self‐stacking was applied by means of induction of transient ITP, which was realized by adding sodium chloride into the sample. The CZE was realized in 200 mM borate buffer ( 9.2) containing 37.5% methanol, 0.001% hexadimethrine bromide, and 15 mM 2‐hydroxypropyl‐β‐CD. Under the optimal conditions for analysis, analytes were separated within 20 min. Linearity was tested for each compound in the concentration range of 0.1–10 μg/mL (R = 0.9906–0.9968) and the detection limits (S/N = 3) ranged from 11 ng/mL (protocatechuic acid) to 31 μg/mL (syringic acid). The validated method was applied to the ethanolic extract of Epilobium parviflorum, Onagraceae. The method of SPE was used for the precleaning of the sample.     

Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography using a fused-core particle column for fast analysis of propolis phenolic compounds

Propolis is a bee product with a complex chemical composition formed by several species from different geographical origins. The complex propolis composition requires an accurate and reproducible characterization of samples to standardize the quality of the material sold to consumers. This work developed an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector method to analyze propolis phenolic compounds based on the two key propolis biomarkers, Artepillin C and p-Coumaric acid. This choice was made due to the complexity of the sample with the presence of several compounds. The optimized method was hyphenated with mass spectrometry detection allowing the detection of 23 different compounds. A step-by-step strategy was used to optimize temperature, flow rate, mobile phase composition, and re-equilibration time. Reverse-phase separation was achieved with a C18 fused-core column packed with the commercially available smallest particles (1.3 nm). Using a fused-core column with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography allows highly efficient, sensitive, accurate, and reproducible determination of compounds extracted from propolis with an outstanding sample throughput and resolution. Optimized conditions permitted the separation of the compounds in 5.50 min with a total analysis time (sample-to-sample) of 6.50 min.     

Determination of some phenolic compounds in red wine by RP-HPLC: method development and validation

A methodology employing reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of five phenolic compounds in red wine. The chromatographic separation was carried out in a C(18) column with water acidify with acetic acid (pH 2.6) (solvent A) and 20% solvent A and 80% acetonitrile (solvent B) as the mobile phase. The validation parameters included: selectivity, linearity, range, limits of detection and quantitation, precision and accuracy, using an internal standard. All calibration curves were linear (R(2) > 0.999) within the range, and good precision (RSD < 2.6%) and recovery (80-120%) was obtained for all compounds. This method was applied to quantify phenolics in red wine samples from Santa Catarina State, Brazil, and good separation peaks for phenolic compounds in these wines were observed.