Determination of biogenic amines as dansyl derivatives in intestinal digesta and feces by reversed phase HPLC

Summary A new method was developed for the determination of fifteen biogenic amines in the intestinal digesta and feces of animal or human origin. The method involves the addition of an internal standard (heptylamine), extraction of the amines, and precipitation of the proteins with perchloric acid. The amines are derivatised with dansyl chloride, separated on a C18 column using gradient elution with 0.2M ammonium acetate at pH 5, water and acetonitrile, and detected with a fluorescence detector. The separation was achieved in a 40 min run. Recoveries ranged from 67 to 110%, the relative standard deviation for intra-assay precision being <5% and the limit of determination 1–5 mg kg⁻¹. The method is specific for biogenic amines in intestinal and fecal samples.