Monoparameter sensors for the determination of the antioxidants butylated hydroxyanisole and n-propyl gallate in foods and cosmetics by flow injection spectrophotometry.

A flow-through optosensor with solid phase UV spectroscopic detection is proposed for the direct determination of single antioxidants, namely butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and n-propyl gallate (n-PG), without previous derivatization. The methods are based on the transient retention behaviour of these compounds in a flow-through cell packed with C-18 silica using ethanol-water mixtures as a carrier, and on the intrinsic absorbance monitored at 290 and 283 nm, respectively. After recording the analytical signal, the antioxidants were easily and quickly desorbed from the solid support by the same carrier. For BHA, calibration graphs were linear over the range 1.0-300.0 mg L-1 using area as the analytical parameter. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was between 0.5 and 1.6%. For n-PG, calibration graphs were linear over the range 1.0-300.0 mg L-1 in area and the RSD was between 1.4 and 1.5%. The methods were applied to the determination of these antioxidants in several food and cosmetics samples, and were validated using the standard additions method and an HPLC reference method.