Chromatographic separation of cholesterol in foods.

Based on the current literature and on experience gained in the laboratory, a simplified procedure using direct saponification (0.4 M potassium hydroxide in ethanol and heating at 60 degrees C for 1 h) is the most appropriate method for the determination of total cholesterol in foods. Extraction of the unsaponifiable matter with hexane is efficient and no extra clean-up is required before quantification. An internal standard, 5 alpha-cholestane or epicoprostanol, should be added to the sample prior to saponification and, together with reference standards, carried through the entire procedure to ensure accurate results. A significant improvement in cholesterol methodology has been achieved by decreasing the sample size and performing all the sample preparation steps in a single tube. The method has the advantages of elimination of an initial solvent extraction for total lipids and errors resulting from multiple extractions, transfers, filtration and wash steps after saponification. The resulting hexane extract, which contains a variety of sterols and fat soluble vitamins, requires an efficient capillary column for complete resolution of cholesterol from the other compounds present. The development of fused-silica capillary columns using cross-linked and bonded liquid phases has provided high thermal stability, inertness and separation efficiency and, together with automated cold on-column gas chromatographic injection systems, has resulted in reproducible cholesterol determinations in either underivatized or derivatized form. If free cholesterol and its esters need to be determined separately, they are initially extracted with other lipids with chloroform-methanol followed by their separation by column or thin-layer chromatography and subsequently analysed by gas or liquid chromatography. Although capillary gas chromatography offers superior efficiency in separation, the inherent benefits of liquid chromatography makes it a potential alternative. Isotope dilution mass spectrometry has been widely accepted as a reliable analytical method for highly accurate determination of cholesterol in serum and several definitive methods have been reported. The combination of capillary gas chromatography with mass spectrometry has become an excellent approach for the determination of cholesterol in complex mixtures of sterols and tocopherols, providing high resolution with positive identification. When used to determine cholesterol in multi-component foods, spectrophotometric methods have been documented to overestimate significantly the amount of cholesterol owing to the presence of other interfering substances. A re-evaluation of food products should be undertaken using the more specific chromatographic methods to accumulate data that will more accurately reflect the true cholesterol content.     

Improving analysis of apolar organic compounds by the use of a capillary titania-based column: Application to the direct determination of faecal sterols cholesterol and coprostanol in wastewater samples

This article reports a new procedure for the direct determination of faecal sterols coprostanol and cholesterol in wastewater samples as tracers of human sewage contamination. The method combines in-tube solid-phase microextraction (IT-SPME) for analyte enrichment and capillary liquid chromatography (LC) for separation with diode array detection for identification and quantification. A titania-based polymeric capillary column and a conventional octadecyl silica (ODS) capillary column were evaluated and compared for their ability to separate the analytes. The titania-based column allowed the separation of the analytes in much shorter chromatographic times and with better chromatographic profiles, which in turn resulted in better detectability. In addition, IT-SPME allowed the direct injection into the chromatographic system of sample volumes as large as 200 μL, thus making unnecessary off-line clean-up and concentration steps. In such a way, the tested compounds could be directly analysed in less than 10 min, the limits of detection (LODs) being 10 and 1.2 μg/L for coprostanol and cholesterol, respectively. The reliability of the proposed method was tested by processing several wastewater samples.     

Rapid determination of the glucose content of molasses using a biosensor

A knowledge of the sugar content of molasses is of commercial importance to a number of industrial fermentations. Hence the feasibility of using a glucose oxidase biosensor to determine the glucose content of molasses samples was investigated. This method was compared with standard high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) and gas-liquid chromatographic (GLC) procedures and with the use of a commercially available glucose analyser. A good correlation was obtained between the standard acetic anhydride GLC and glucose oxidase biosensor results (correlation coefficient = 0.98). Rapid and accurate measurements could be carried out using the biosensor without the need to employ the sample preparation step required in standard GLC methods. It was concluded that the use of the biosensor technique for the determination of glucose in molasses samples has distinct advantages over conventional methods.     

气相色谱法测定铸造用酚醛树脂粉中六次甲基四胺含量

以间-甲酚作为内标,建立毛细管气相色谱法测定铸造用酚醛树脂粉中六次甲基四胺的含量。色谱柱为DB–5石英毛细管柱(30 m×0.25 mm,0.25μm),采用FID检测器。用水溶解样品中的六次甲基四胺,经过滤分离后,在确定的色谱条件下进行测定。此方法测定结果的相对标准偏差为0.9%~2.1%(n=6),加标回收率在98.7%~100.2%之间,与HG/T 2755–1996方法测定结果比较,误差在±0.2%之内。该方法灵敏度和准确度均符合要求,方法可靠,可用于铸造用酚醛树脂粉中六次甲基四胺含量的测定。     

A fast and highly sensitive detection of cholesterol using polymer microfluidic devices and amperometric system

In this work, the rapid detection of cholesterol using poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchip capillary electrophoresis, based on the coupling of enzymatic assays and electrochemical detection, was developed. Direct amperometric detection for poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchip capillary electrophoresis was successfully applied to quantify cholesterol levels. Factors influencing the performance of the method (such as the concentration and pH value of buffer electrolyte, concentration of cholesterol oxidase enzyme (ChOx), effect of solvent on the cholesterol solubility, and interferences) were carefully investigated and optimized. The migration time of hydrogen peroxide, product of the reaction, was less than 100 s when using 40 mM phosphate buffer at pH 7.0 as the running buffer, a concentration of 0.68 U/mL of the ChOx, a separation voltage of +1.6 kV, an injection time of 20 s, and a detection potential of +0.5 V. PDMS microchip capillary electrophoresis showed linearity between 38.7 μg/dL (1 μM) and 270.6 mg/dL (7 mM) for the cholesterol standard; the detection limit was determined as 38.7 ng/dL (1 nM). To demonstrate the potential of this assay, the proposed method was applied to quantify cholesterol in bovine serum. The percentages of recoveries were assessed over the range of 98.9-101.8%. The sample throughput was found to be 60 samples per hour. Therefore, PDMS microchip capillary electrophoresis, based on the coupling of enzymatic assays and electrochemical detection, is very rapid, accurate and sensitive method for the determination of cholesterol levels.     

Determination of trans octadecenoic acids by silver-ion chromatography-gas liquid chromatography: an intercomparison of methods

Several silver-ion chromatography-gas liquid chromatography (GLC) techniques for the determination of trans octadecenoic acids in partially hydrogenated vegetable fats were collaboratively evaluated. Twelve laboratories participated in the study. All collaborators used high polarity fused silica capillary columns for the separation of fatty acid methyl esters by GLC; 7 collaborators isolated trans monoenes by silver-ion liquid chromatography (Ag-LC) and the remainder used silver-ion thin-layer chromatography (Ag-TLC). Eight artificially prepared materials [soybean oil spiked with either methyl elaidate, trielaidin, or trans octadecenoates isolated from partially hydrogenated sunflower oil (PHSO)] and 2 matrix materials (PHSO and a blend of PHSO and palm oil) served as test samples. Ag-TLC and Ag-LC proved to be equivalent techniques for the prefractionation of trans monoenes. Recovery of methyl elaidate, trielaidin, or trans octadecenoates isolated from PHSO varied between 97.9-103.7% over a concentration range of 1 to 30 g trans fatty acids/100 g. Reproducibility relative standard deviation (RSDR) for the spiked samples were in the range of 3.1-8.6% for 30-1% trans monoene content. For the 2 matrix samples (mean 3.75 and 19.08% trans monoene content) RSDR was 13.2 and 3.6%. The hyphenated techniques tested proved to be highly accurate and sufficiently precise methods for the determination of trans monoenes in partially hydrogenated vegetable fats. Procedural variations of the silver-ion chromatography prefractionation step (separation mode, mobile phase, and detection systems) did not significantly influence the results of the test. Therefore, silver-ion chromatography is a robust method, which does not need rigorous standardization to achieve high precision of test results. A further benefit of the hyphenated technique is that any type of efficient polar capillary column can be used.     

Simple and rapid method for the determination of progesterone in rat plasma by gas-liquid chromatography with electron-capture detection

A method for estimating progesterone in rat plasma using gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) with electron-capture detection is described. By means of a column chromatographic technique for the extraction of progesterone from plasma, it is possible to isolate the steroid in such a specific way that, contrary to previously published methods, no additional chromatographic purification and separation steps are needed prior to the final GLC analysis. As a derivative for electron-capture detection we used the 3,20-di-O-pentafluorobenzyloxime of progesterone. This derivative is superior to those used hitherto with regard to sensitivity and stability. The high overall recovery (mean value, 89.4%) makes this method especially convenient for research work when only little plasma is available, or when the concentration of progesterone is very low.     

Determination of cholesterol in milk fat by gas chromatography with direct injection and sample saponification

Summary A rapid and direct gas chromatographic (GC) method for determining free cholesterol in milk fat using a capillary column and programmed-temperature vaporizerinjector was assayed. It was compared with other procedures involving saponification of fat, solvent extraction of unsaponifiable matter—with and without fractionation by thin-layer chromatography—and transformation of sterols into silyl derivatives prior to GC analysis. This paper proposes an alternative to other published procedures. Repeatability of the method was assessed and the coefficient of variation determined as 2.1%. The alternative saponification method exhibited comparable accuracy (coefficient of variation=1.8%). Recovery ranged from 99.1% to 105.6%.     

Determination of cholesterol in milk fat by gas chromatography with direct injection and sample saponification

Summary A rapid and direct gas chromatographic (GC) method for determining free cholesterol in milk fat using a capillary column and programmed-temperature vaporizer-injector was assayed. It was compared with other procedures involving saponification of fat, solvent extraction of unsaponifiable matter — with and without fractionation by thin-layer chromatography — and transformation of sterols into silyl derivatives prior to GC analysis. This paper proposes an alternative to other published procedures. Repeatability of the method was assessed and the coefficient of variation determined as 2.1 %. The alternative saponification method exhibited comparable accuracy (coefficient of variation=1.8 %). Recovery ranged from 99.1 % to 105.6 %.     

High performance liquid chromatographic separation of cholesterol oxidation products

Summary A fast, sensitive, high performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of cholesterol hydroperoxides and other major oxysterols, using two different detection systems (ultraviolet at 210 nm and light scattering), is here described. The hydroperoxy derivatives were obtained by cholesterol photoxidation, isolated by thin layer chromatography and joined with a standard mixture of 10 oxysterols (epoxy, hydroxy and keto derivatives). Aliquots were directly injected onto a 5-μm particle size, 25×0.46 cm i.d. Spherisorb S5 CN normal phase column, usingn-hexane/anhydrous ethanol (97:3, v/v) as mobile phase and a flow rate of 0.8 mL min⁻¹. This method allowed, in a single isocratic analysis, the separation and quantification of the primary and secondary cholesterol oxidation products in 30 minutes. The light scattering detector was particularly useful for the determination of nonderivatized 5,6-epoxides and cholestane-3β,5α,6β-triol. The sensitivity of both detectors was very similar for most of the oxysterols, except for the 5,6-epoxides and the 7-ketocholesterol. The method suitability for the determination of cholesterol oxidation products in food matrices was successfully tested on a saponified lipid extract from egg yolk powder.     

A flow injection-capillary electrophoresis system with high-voltage contactless conductivity detection for automated dual opposite end injection

The system comprises two flow injection-capillary electrophoresis interfaces into which the opposite ends of the separation capillary are inserted. The electrolyte solution flows through both interfaces by use of hydrostatic pressure. The injection of the samples into the electrolyte flow is accomplished by a rotary-type chromatographic valve at the grounded side and by a pinch-valve injector at the high-voltage side that provides sufficient isolation from the high electric field. The system allows a fully automated dual-injection sequence of samples from both capillary ends and simultaneous electrophoretic separation of anions and cations in the samples. The analytes are detected by a high-voltage contactless conductometric detector positioned approximately in the middle of the separation capillary. The parameters of the system were evaluated. The repeatability of the flow injection-capillary electrophoresis system for the simultaneous determination of anions and cations was evaluated for ten consecutive injections and relative standard deviation (RSD) values for peak areas were better than 1.0%. The sample throughput for total ionic analysis was estimated to be 25 samples per hour. The system was used for automated simultaneous analysis of anions and cations in various real samples. Using a short separation capillary, rapid total ionic analysis in less then 1 min is demonstrated.     

Determination of cholesterol oxides in processed food using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation

The present work describes the development and application of an on-line atmospheric pressure ionisation (APCI) LC-MS interface for the simultaneous determination of seven toxicologically relevant cholesterol oxides (7alpha-hydroxycholesterol, 7beta-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, 7-ketocholesterol, 5,6alpha-, 5,6beta-epoxycholesterol and cholestan-3beta,5alpha,6beta-triol). The HPLC method has been optimised to reach better separation of all tested compounds. The influences of APCI parameters (nebulising temperature, cone voltage, source temperature) on signal intensity and fragmentation pattern were investigated for all tested cholesterol oxides compounds. This is the first report on optimisation and determination of two compounds 7alpha-hydroxycholesterol and 5,6beta-epoxycholesterol in processed food using LC-MS. After extraction with hexane, clean-up was carried out using solid-phase extraction on a silica column. For the chromatographic separation of cholesterol oxides an Aquasil C18 column was used with acetonitrile-methanol (60:40) as mobile phase. For the first time we report the use of such a C18 column with a relatively hydrophilic nature for the separation of cholesterol oxides. APCI-MS detection was then applied in selected ion monitoring and positive ion modes by using the molecular ions and the main fragments. The developed method shows good linearity, high repeatability and good recovery for all tested cholesterol oxides. The method was applied for determination of seven selected cholesterol oxidation products in different foodstuffs such as butter, butteroil, lard and egg powder.     

Open-tubular capillary electrochromatography using a polymeric surfactant coating

A stable polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) coating was investigated for use in open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (o-CEC). In this approach, the PEM consisted of the cationic polymer of a quaternary ammonium salt, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and the anionic polymeric surfactant, poly(sodium undecylenic sulfate). Both the cationic and anionic polymers were physically adsorbed to the surface of a fused-silica capillary by use of a simple coating procedure. This procedure involved an alternate rinse of the positively and negatively charged polymers. The performance of the PEM coating as a dynamic stationary phase was evaluated by use of electrochromatographic experiments and showed good selectivity for both phenols and benzodiazepines. Reproducibility of the PEM coating was also evaluated by calculating the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the electroosomotic flow (EOF). The run-to-run and capillary-to-capillary RSD values of the EOF were less than 1.5%. The endurance of the coating was more than 100 runs. The importance of the PEM coating was illustrated by comparing separations on a bare uncoated capillary with the coated capillary. In addition, the chromatographic performance using o-CEC and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) was compared for the separation of benzodiazepines.     

Determination of total cholesterol in serum by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A simple and sensitive HPLC method that does not require derivatization for determining cholesterol has been developed. Investigation of voltammetric behavior of cholesterol showed that cholesterol could be oxidized on a glassy carbon electrode in non-aqueous solvents. This was applied to the development of a method by HPLC with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ED). The HPLC-ED was optimized using the separation of cholesterol and oxysterols including 26-hydroxycholesterol and 24S-hydroxycholesterol. The separation was carried out with a Develosil C30-UG-3 column; acetonitrile-2-propanol (9:1, v/v) containing 50mM LiClO(4) as a mobile phase; and an applied potential at 1.9V versus Ag/AgCl. The current peak height was linearly related to the amount of cholesterol injected from 0.5-100 microM (r>0.999). The detection limit (S/N=3) of cholesterol was 0.36 microM (1.8 pmol). Cholesterol at 100 microM was directly detected with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 1.0% (n=8). Total cholesterol and free cholesterol in control human serum were determined by the present method with the recovery of more than 90% and the RSD (n=6) of less than 3.0%.     

Retention and separation studies of cholesterol and bile acids using thermostated thin-layer chromatography.

The influence of temperature on retention and separation of cholesterol and bile acids, using reversed-phase thin-layer chromatography, was studied. As mobile phases methanol-water mixtures of various compositions were used. Chromatographic experiments were performed using vapor-saturated chambers at temperatures ranging from 5 to 60 degrees C. A linear relationship between R(M) values and temperature (1/T) as well as mobile phase composition was observed. The elution order of steroids under the conditions investigated was discussed. Each chromatogram was evaluated using simple optimization parameters and the best chromatographic conditions for the separation of multicomponent samples were chosen.     

On-line coupling of partial filling-capillary zone electrophoresis with mass spectrometry for the separation of clenbuterol enantiomers

The on-line coupling of capillary zone electrophoresis with mass spectrometry (CZE-MS) for the separation of enantiomers is hampered by the presence of nonvolatile chiral selectors such as cyclodextrins in the separation buffer. This problem can be overcome by use of the partial filling technique where only a part of the capillary is filled with the separation buffer containing chiral selectors. Since the electroosmotic flow is almost completely suppressed at acidic pH, that dimethyl-beta-cyclodextrin is neutral, no free cyclodextrin would reach the MS detector when using a partially filled capillary. By this method, clenbuterol enantiomers were successfully resolved and separated from salbutamol (internal standard) in aqueous solution and in plasma samples. A solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used for the preparation of plasma samples before analysis.     

On-line affinity selection of histidine-containing peptides using a polymeric monolithic support for capillary electrophoresis

An on-line affinity selection method using a polymeric monolithic support is proposed for the retention of histidine-containing peptides and their subsequent separation by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). Monolithic capillary columns were prepared in fused-silica capillaries of 150 mum inner diameter (ID) by ionizing radiation-initiated in situ polymerization and cross-linking of diethylene glycol dimethacrylate and glycidyl methacrylate, and chemically modified with iminodiacetic acid (IDA) and copper ion. Monolithic microextractors were coupled on-line near the inlet of the separation capillary (fused-silica capillary, 75 mum ID x 28 cm from the microextractor to the detector). Model peptide mixtures of histidine-containing and histidine-noncontaining peptides were assessed. Peptides were released from the sorbent by a 5 mM imidazole solution and then separated by CZE with ultraviolet detection. Relative standard deviation values for migration times and corrected peak areas were found to be lower than 5.8 and 10.5%, respectively. IDA-Cu(II) ion modified monolithic microextractors showed a chromatographic behavior and could be reused at least 25 times. The use of monolithic supports proved to be an advantageous alternative to packed particles for the preparation of microextractors.     

Novel Monolithic Stationary Phase with Surface-Grafted Triphenyl Selector for Reversed-Phase Capillary Electrochromatography

A triphenylmethylamine-functionalized monolithic capillary column was newly designed for reversed-phase capillary electrochromatographic applications. Incorporation of the three phenyl rings-containing selector (also referred to as trityl selector) was achieved through post-polymerization functionalization of a generic monolithic matrix bearing nucleophilic-sensitive hydroxysuccinimide moieties. Such a 3D polymer matrix was obtained through UV-induced in situ free radical copolymerization of N-acryloxysuccinimide and ethylene dimethacrylate. The separation properties of the trityl monolithic capillary column were initially evaluated vis-à-vis polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as model hydrophobic compounds, and compared to the separation ability of a benzylamine-functionalized monolithic capillary column prepared using the same generic monolithic matrix. Electrochromatographic separation of phenols and anilines was also considered, and our preliminary results suggest the occurrence of hydrophobic interactions due to the aromatic and non-polar nature of the surface-grafted trityl selector. The triphenyl monolithic capillary column exhibited relative standard deviation values (% RSD) below 4.1 % for the here-studied chromatographic parameters, namely, retention factor, selectivity, resolution, and efficiency.

     

Simultaneous microanalysis of bile acids and cholesterol in bile by glass capillary column gas chromatography

Simultaneous quantitative microanalysis of bile acids and cholesterol was carried out by enzymatic hydrolysis, the formation of the ethyl ester dimethylethylsilyl ether derivatives and subsequent analysis by glass capillary gas chromatography. A complete separation and satisfactory recovery of cholesterol and the five major bile acids commonly occurring in human and hamster bile were obtained. The method is applicable to individual small animal models such as hamster from which only a small amount of bile is available.     

Characterization of medieval proteinaceous painting media using gas chromatography and gas chromatography — mass spectrometry

Proteinaceous organic materials used as ancient painting media were investigated by capillary gas chromatography (GC) and capillary gas chromatography — mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Medieval wall paintings made by the tempera technique were considered and their binding media were studied by the characterization of their main chemical components. The basic methodology is based on the determination of amino acids in samples of paint layers after hydrolysis and derivatization and on the comparison with reference proteinaceous materials. Multivariate chemometric techniques were used to facilitate the recognition of the protein source from chromatographic data. To characterize the binders further, a method was developed for the determination of fatty acids, present as minor components, by GC/MS. The use of fused-silica capillary columns coated with selected stationary phases allowed the separation of amino acid and fatty acid derivatives in a single analytical run.