Use of C-18 reverse-phase cartridges for estimation of metal complexation by a residue from olive oil industry

 Formation of complexes between Cu and organic polymers present in olive mill wastewater (OMW) is shown to be a cause of metal solubilization by the residue, using C-18 reverse-phase cartridges (RPC) for separating the complexed metal. Nearly 100% of the metal released from a polluted river sediment by OMW solutions is retained by the cartridges. The proportion of Cu retained by the cartridges is somewhat lower (50–80%), if the OMW solution initially contains Cu. About 70–80% of Cu released by OMW from a soil column previously loaded with high doses of metal is also retained by the cartridges. Incomplete Cu retentions are not thought to be due to a lack of efficiency of RPC in immobilizing Cu complexes, but to the formation of an equilibrium between free and complexed forms of the metal. Received: 3 June 1996/Revised: 29 September 1996/Accepted: 10 October 1996     

Influence of complexation by metal cations on solvophobic retention of crown compounds in reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

The retention of crown compounds in reverse-phase HPLC is determined by their ability to bind to cations present in the eluent. The dependence of the retention of crown compounds on concentration of the binding cation has a break. This enables the stability constant of the crown-compound-cation complex to be calculated. The retention of the antitumor antibiotic actinomycin D in 75% MeOH is demonstrated to depend on [Na⁺] and not on [K⁺] for concentrations of the latter from 10^–6 to 10^–1 M.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 2265–2269, October, 1991.     

Rapid clean-up of fat extracts for organophosphorus pesticide residue determination using C18 solid-phase extraction cartridges

Commercial solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges with C₁₈ bonded silica packings effectively cleaned up acetonitrile extracts of 3-g samples of fats and oils for determination of organophosphorus pesticide residues by gas chromatography with flame photometric detection. Cartridges from three different sources were tested and found to differ in lipid capacity and inertness (free silanol activity). Consequently, the amount of packing (i.e., number of cartridges) and/or the choice of eluent used were adjusted for each brand of cartridge to achieve optimum clean-up and analyte recovery. Seven pesticides with a wide range of polarity (acephate, azodrin, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, malathion, methamidophos and methyl parathion) were separated from coextracted lipids by elution with either acetonitrile or methanol, depending on the brand of cartridge used. Cartridges were regenerated by purging lipids with dichloromethane and were reused numerous times without apparent loss of effectiveness. Recoveries from vegetable oils and butterfat fortified with the seven compounds at levels of 0.05–0.87 μg g^?1 ranged from 80 to 103%. Practical limits of determination range from 0.01 to 0.08 μg g^?1, depending on analyte response.     

Analysis of olive oil and seed oil triglycerides by capillary gas chromatography as a tool for the detection of the adulteration of olive oil

Individual triglyceride (TG) species of olive oil and several seed oils (corn, cottonseed, palm, peanut, soybean, and sunflower) are baseline separated on a WCOT TAP CB fused-silica capillary column by capillary gas chromatography (CGC) with a flame-ionization detector (FID) and either cold on-column or split injection. An adulteration of olive oil with a low content (< 5%) of these seed oils (except peanut oil) can be verified by the detection of the increasing levels of trilinolein or tripalmitin in olive oil in which these TG species are normally absent or present at very low levels (< 0.5%). An adulteration with over 20% peanut oil can be detected by the increasing levels of palmitodilinolein. TG species that can be coeluted with trilinolein in the reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) mode are baseline separated by the CGC technique, and their structures are identified by selective ion monitoring mass spectrometry. The following comparisons--the CGC-FID and RP-HPLC methods for detection of adulteration, cold on-column and split-injection modes for CGC-FID, and silylation or thin-layer chromatography pretreatment and simple dilution of one or more of the oil samples--are also presented. The normalized percentage area of the TG species is sufficient for the method limits used in this study. Mixtures of virgin olive oil with refined or residue olive oil could not be distinguished from the virgin type by the method used in this study.     

An ion-exchange separation of metal cations on a C-18 column coated with dodecylsulphate

The retention mechanism was studied for the cations of the alkaline earth metals and Zn(2+) Ni(2+), Co(2+), Cd(2+) and Bi(3+) on a C(18) column permanently coated with sodium dodecylsulphate, with aqueous mobile phases containing cupric chloride or sulphate, or cerous nitrate. The dependencies of the logarithm or the capacity ratio on the logarithm of the eluent concentration were linear, demonstrating that ion-exchange was the predominating separation mode; the slopes of these dependencies were in good agreement with the values predicted from the ion-exchange theory. Indirect UV photometric detection yielded limits of detection (LOD) of 21, 44, 120 and 275 ng in the volume injected, 20 mul, for Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Sr(2+) and Ba(2+), respectively, with the 10(-2)M copper(II) chloride mobile phase; the respective LOD values decreased to 0.8, 1.6, 3.0 and 6.7 ng with the 5 x 10(-4)M cerium(III) nitrate eluent. The method was found to be primarily suitable for determination of the alkaline earths and was applied to analyses of surface and mineral waters.     

Use of Sep-Pak C18 cartridges to clean up free amino acids from coniferous needles

Reversed-phase Sep-Pak C₁₈ cartridges were investigated to evaluate their ability to purify free amino acids extracted from jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) and white spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss] needle tissue samples for HPLC analysis. Twenty-one amino acids from a standard only and amino acids from conifer needles with added standard were eluted through Sep-Pak C₁₈ cartridges. An average recovery of 98% was found for all standard amino acids. Using norleucine as an internal standard, recovery for all amino acids except alanine and methionine averaged 104% for jack pine and 97% for white spruce tissue. Alanine co-chromatographed with an unknown peak and recovery appeared to exceed 130%. Methionine, with less than 33% recovery, was probably degraded during the extraction and purification procedures. Aside from alanine and methionine, Sep-Pak C₁₈ cartridges appear to be a faster and more effective method for purifying conifer foliage extracts prior to amino acid analysis than the traditional ion-exchange column purification method.     

Study on complexation adsorption behavior of dibenzo-18-crown-6 immobilized on CPVA microspheres for metal ions

Dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DBC) was immobilized on crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol (CPVA) microspheres, resulting in polymer-supported crown ether DBC–CPVA. The complexation adsorption behaviors of DBC–CPVA microspheres towards diverse metal ions were investigated. The experimental results show that among alkali metal ions, the complexation adsorption ability of DBC–CPVA for K⁺ ion is the strongest, and crown ether-metal complex in 1:1 ratio is formed, exhibiting a high adsorption capacity. The adsorption capacities of alkali metal ions on DBC–CPVA are in the order: K⁺ ? Na⁺ > LI⁺ > Rb⁺ > Cs⁺. Among several divalent metal ions, DBC–CPVA exhibits stronger adsorption ability towards Zn²⁺ and Co²⁺ ions, and a “sandwich”-type complex is formed probably in a molar ratio of 2:1 between the immobilized DBC and Zn²⁺ ion as well as between the immobilized DBC and Co²⁺ ion. The adsorption capacities of the several divalent metal ions on DBC–CPVA are in the order: Zn²⁺ > Co²⁺ ? Cd²⁺ > Cu²⁺ > Ni²⁺ > Pb²⁺. The complexation adsorption is exothermic physical physisorption process, and raising temperature leads to the decrease of the adsorption capacity. At the same time, the entropy during the complexation adsorption decreases, so the adsorption process is driven by the decrease of enthalpy.     

Use of multivariate statistical techniques to optimize the simultaneous separation of 13 phenolic compounds from extra-virgin olive oil by capillary electrophoresis

Characterization of phenolic compounds in olive oil has not been achieved as yet, owing to the complexities of their chemical structures and analytical matrix. The aim of this work is to optimize and validate a method for simultaneous separation and quantification of 13 phenolic compounds from extra-virgin olive oil: tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein glycoside, ferrulic acid, p-coumaric acid, cinnamic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, gallic acid, caffeic acid, luteolin, apigenin, vanillic acid and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid. A statistical central composite design, response surface analysis and the simultaneous optimization method of Derringer and Suich were used to separate all the peaks. These multivariate procedures were efficient in determining the optimal separation condition, using five peak-pair resolutions and runtime as responses. The optimized method employed a fused-silica capillary of 50 μm i.d. × 60 cm effective length with extended light path, 50 mmol L⁻¹ boric acid electrolyte, 10.2 pH, 25 °C, injection of 50 mbar for 25 s with application of reverse voltage (−30 kV for 5 s) before setting the running voltage (+30 kV) with detection at 210 nm and a run time of 12 min. Peak resolutions are found to be very sensitive to pH values outside the 10.15-10.25 range but acceptable electropherograms can be obtained for a wide range of boric acid concentrations within this pH interval.     

Use of microwave digestion for estimation of heavy metal content of soils in a geochemical survey

A procedure for the rapid and safe analysis of soils with widely differing organic matter contents has been investigated and validated. Surface soils, totalling 295 and sampled on a grid basis, representing 22% of the land-base of the Republic of Ireland, have been analysed for cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc. Soil concentrations of cadmium, chromium, lead and nickel exhibit patterns of regionalised elevation. Implications of this elevation are considered in relation to sewage sludge application to land, future requirement for baseline surveys and concerns over concentrations in food products.     

Use of flow injection atmospheric pressure photoionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for fast olive oil fingerprinting

The recently introduced technique of an atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) source coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QqTOFMS) has been applied to fast olive oil fingerprinting on the basis of the accurate mass measurements obtained with this instrumentation. The key compounds can be characterized as [M+H]+ (produced by proton transfer) or as [M]+* (by charge transfer) ions in the mass spectra. [M+H]+ ions, however, show higher abundance, especially for triacylglycerols. Other ions present in APPI-MS are the acylium ion [RiCO]+ and [RiCO-H2O]+. This latter ion is absent in the electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS spectra, and this represents valuable complementary information. Several critical parameters in the APPI source were optimized such as LC eluent composition, ion spray voltage and, especially, declustering potential. APPI-QqTOFMS allows easy discrimination among different edible oils: olive, extra virgin olive, olive-pomace, hazelnut, sunflower, corn and several mixed oils, with high throughput (approximately 1 min per sample). Cluster analysis was applied to obtain the best experimental conditions for oil discrimination on the basis of declustering potential. Principal components analyses of these APPI-MS spectra show that the approach can be used for studies of olive oil adulteration with other oils, even in the case of hazelnut oil that exhibits a high chemical similarity with olive oil.     

The complexing properties of a chiral 18-crown-6 derivative incorporating a 2,5-anhydro-d-mannitol residue. A constitutional and stereochemical means of enhancing complexation

Measurements of both a thermodynamic and kinetic nature establish that an 18-crown-6 derivative incorporating a ‘chiral diethyleneglycol’ unit in the shape of a 2,5-anhydro-$\text{D}$-mannitol residue forms extremely strong complexes with alkali metal, NH⁺₄, and RNH⁺₃ ions.     

Determination of arsenic(III) and arsenic(V) by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry after complexation and sorption on a C-18 bonded silica column

A flow injection procedure for the separation and pre-concentration of inorganic arsenic based on the complexation with ammonium diethyl dithiophosphate (DDTP) and sorption on a C-18 bonded silica gel minicolumn is proposed. During the sample injection by a time-based fashion, the As³⁺-DDTP complex is stripped from the solution and retained in the column. Arsenic(V) and other ions that do not form complexes are discarded. After reduction to the trivalent state by using potassium iodide plus ascorbic acid, total arsenic is determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). Arsenic(V) concentration can be calculated by difference. After processing 6 ml sample volume, the As³⁺-DDTP complexes were eluted directly into the autosampler cup (120 μl). Ethanol was used for column rinsing. Influence of pH, reagent concentration, pre-concentration and elution time and column size were investigated. When 30 μl of eluate plus 10 μl of 0.1% (w/v) Pd(NO₃)₂ were dispensed into the graphite tube, analytical curve in the 0.3–3 μg As l⁻¹ range was obtained (r=0.9991). The accuracy was checked for arsenic determination in a certified water, spiked tap water and synthetic mixtures of arsenite and arsenate. Good recoveries (97–108%) of spiked samples were found. Results are precise (RSD 7.5 and 6% for 0.5 and 2.5 μg l⁻¹, n=10) and in agreement with the certified value of reference material at 95% confidence level.     

Use of biopolymers for the removal of heavy metals produced by the oil industry—A feasibility study

The possibility of using lignin from the paper industry’s black liquor to absorb nickel (Ni) and vanadium (V), was studied. The work comprised two stages: first, the identification of lignin’s main functional groups and the surface characterization of the solid; second, an experimental study of lignin’s behavior towards the Ni and V cations. Results revealed the presence of aromatic groups as well as substituted methoxy groups on the lignin’s surface. This explains lignin’s adsorptive capacity exhibited in the experimental evaluations. The removal of Ni and V ions was higher than expected solely through the physical adsorption mechanism. This higher capacity is associated with a proposed complex formation on the surface of the lignin. For Ni(II), lignin showed a higher adsorption compared to commercial adsorbents. In the case of V, the behavior is reversed, in order to elucidate this result, further research is recommended.     

Determination of the oxidative stability of olive oil by use of a robotic station

A gravimetric method for the determination of the oxidative stability of olive oil based on the use of a robotic station for the monitoring of the oxygen absorbed by a sample subjected to heating under controlled working conditions is proposed. The method was developed in order to relieve the typically heavy work load of olive oil laboratories in winter. The results obtained were consistent with those provided by a well-established method (Rancimat), which the proposed method clearly surpasses in sample throughput (6 samples/batch vs 150 samples/batch).     

Use of a glass residue in the removal of heavy metals from wastewater

The extraction of silica from powdered glass cullet with an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide has been proposed as an alternative to glass recycling aimed to the low temperature production of sodium silicates. The unextracted residue obtained after a counter current two-step extractive process at approximately 100 degrees C and room pressure is mainly made of calcium and sodium silicate and shows high porosity and a large surface area. We thought that it could be active as an agent for the removal of heavy metals from wastewater. In this paper the capacity of the unextracted residue of removing six metal ions (i.e., Cu2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Cd2+, Pb2+ e Cr3+) was studied in a stirred batch reactor. The data obtained demonstrate that the removal of metal ions from wastewater is achieved with high capacity in a short time and their concentration is lowered under the legal limits without any appreciable influence from changes of physical and chemical conditions. Sodium and calcium ions take the place of heavy metals in water while pH keeps almost neutral. The exchange mechanism was identified.     

Validation of a method based on triglycerides for the detection of low percentages of hazelnut oil in olive oil by column liquid chromatography

The difference between theoretical and empirical triglyceride content is a powerful tool to detect the presence of any vegetable oil in olive oil. The current drawback of the method is the separation between equivalent carbon number ECN42 compounds, which affects the reliability of the method and, hence, its cutoff limit. The determination of the triglyceride profile by liquid chromatography using propionitrile as the mobile phase has recently been proposed to improve their quantification, together with a mathematical algorithm whose binary response determines the presence or absence of hazelnut oil. Twenty-one laboratories from 9 countries participated in an interlaboratory study to evaluate the performance characteristics of the whole analytical method. Participants analyzed 12 samples in duplicate, split into 3 intercomparison studies. Statistically significant differences due to the experimental conditions were found in some laboratories, which were detected as outliers by use of Cochran's and Grubbs' tests. The relative standard deviations (RSD) for repeatability and reproducibility were determined following the AOAC Guidelines for Collaborative Studies. The analytical properties of the method were determined by means of the sensitivity (0.86), selectivity (0.94), and reliability (72%) for a cutoff limit of 8% (probability 94%).     

Application of deep eutectic solvents for the extraction of phenolic compounds from extra-virgin olive oil

A HPLC–DAD/ESI–MS method has been developed and validated for the analysis of the most representative phenolic compounds in extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) samples using a green extraction approach based on deep eutectic solvents (DESs) at room temperature. We examined ten DESs based on choline chloride and betaine in combination with different hydrogen bond donors comprising six alcohols, two organic acids, and one urea. Five phenolic compounds, belonging to the classes of secoiridoids and phenolic alcohols, were selected for the evaluation of extraction efficiency. A betaine-based DES with glycerol (molar ratio 1:2) was found to be the most effective for extracting phenolic compounds as compared to a conventional solvent. The optimization of the extraction method involved the study of the quantity of water to be added to the DES and evaluation of the sample-to-solvent ratio optimal condition. Thirty percent of water added to DES and sample to solvent ratio 1:1 (w/v) were selected as the best conditions. The chromatographic method was validated by studying LOD, LOQ, intraday and interday retention time precision, and linearity range. Recovery values obtained spiking seed oil sample aliquots with standard compounds at 5 and 100 μg/g concentration were in the range between 75.2% and 98.7%.     

Optimization and application of methods of triacylglycerol evaluation for characterization of olive oil adulteration by soybean oil with HPLC-APCI-MS-MS

Triacylglycerols (TAGs) are the main constituents of vegetable oils where they occur in complex mixtures with characteristic distributions. Mass spectrometry using an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface (APCI-MS) run in positive mode and an Ion Trap mass analyser were applied in the study of olive and soybean oils and their mixtures. Direct injections of soybean and olive oil solutions allowed the identification of ions derived from the main TAGs of both oils. This procedure showed to be a simple and powerful tool to evaluate mixtures or addition of soybean to olive oil. TAG separation was optimized by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using an octadecylsilica LiChrospher column (250 mm × 3 mm; 5 μm) and a gradient composed of acetonitrile and 2-propanol allowed the separation of the main TAGs of the studied oils. APCI vaporization temperature was optimized and best signals were obtained at 370 °C. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) employing the transition of the protonated TAG molecules ([M+H]⁺) to the protonated diacylglycerol fragments ([M+H−R]⁺) improved the selectivity of TAG detection and was used in quantitative studies. Different strategies were developed to evaluate oil composition following TAG analysis by MRM. The external standard calibration and standard additions methods were compared for triolein quantification but the former showed to be biased. Further quantitative studies were based on the estimates of soybean and olive oil proportions in mixtures by comparison of TAG areas found in mixtures of known and unknown composition of both oils. Good agreement with expected or labeled values was found for a commercial blend containing 15% (w/w) of olive oil in soybean oil and to a 1:1 mixture of both oils, showing the potential of this method in characterizing oil mixtures and estimating oil proportions. Olive oils of different origins were also evaluated by mass spectra data obtained after direct injections of oil solutions and principal component analysis (PCA). Argentinean olive oils were clustered in a different area of the principal components plot (PC2 × PC1) in comparison with European olive oils. The commercial blend containing 15% (w/w) of olive oil in soybean oil appeared in a completely different area of the graphic, showing the potential of this method to screen out for olive oil adulterations.     

Differential scanning calorimetry: a potential tool for discrimination of olive oil commercial categories

Differential scanning calorimetry thermograms of five commercial categories of olive oils (extra virgin olive oil, olive oil, refined olive oil, olive-pomace oil and refined olive-pomace oil) were performed in both cooling and heating regimes. Overlapping transitions were resolved by deconvolution analysis and all thermal properties were related to major (triacylglycerols, total fatty acids) and minor (diacylglycerols, lipid oxidation products) chemical components.All oils showed two well distinguishable exothermic events upon cooling. Crystallization enthalpies were significantly lower in olive oils due to a more ordered crystal structure, which may be related to the higher triolein content. Pomace oils exhibited a significantly higher crystallization onset temperature and a larger transition range, possibly associated to the higher amount of diacylglycerols. Heating thermograms were more complex: all oils exhibited complex exo- and endothermic transitions that could differentiate samples especially with respect to the highest temperature endotherm.These preliminary results suggest that both cooling and heating thermograms obtained by means of differential scanning calorimetry may be useful for discriminating among olive oils of different commercial categories.     

Selective separation of essential phenolic compounds from olive oil mill wastewater using a bulk liquid membrane

Olive oil mill wastewater (OMWW) is very rich in phenolic compounds especially the key compounds of caffeic acid (CA), hydroxytyrosol (HTY), and tyrosol (TY). Therefore, the development of new and effective analytical and industrial methods for the separation and concentration of these valuable compounds has attracted great attention in the last decades. In this study, a selective transport and separation method for CA, HTY, and TY from OMWW samples, obtained from different olive orchards, using a new bulk liquid membrane (BLM) procedure was developed. Various factors influencing the transport efficiency such as pH of the source and receiving phases, nature and volume of the organic membrane, stirring rate, and transport time were investigated and optimized. Under optimal experimental conditions, the transport efficiencies of CA, HTY, and TY from the OMWW samples of 90.1 %, 28.4 %, and 34.9 % were obtained, respectively. Relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 7) were found to be 4.1 %, 3.8 %, and 3.0 % and the limits of detection (LODs) obtained were 0.001 mg L^?1, 0.011 mg L^?1, and 0.008 mg L^?1, for CA, HTY, and TY, respectively.