Capillary liquid chromatography combined with pressurized liquid extraction and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for the determination of vitamin E in cosmetic products.

Capillary liquid chromatography (LC) is used for the determination of tocopherols and tocotrienols in cosmetic products. Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) allows the analytes to be preconcentrated into a very small volume of organic solvent which is then injected into the chromatograph running at a very low flow rate. Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) at a high temperature and pressure was used to isolate vitamin E forms from cosmetics. The Taguchi experimental method was used to optimize the factors affecting DLLME. The parameters selected were 2mL of acetonitrile (disperser solvent), 100µL carbon tetrachloride (extraction solvent) and 10mL aqueous solution. A volume of 5µL of the organic phase was injected into the reversed-phase capillary LC system equipped with a diode array detector and using an isocratic mobile phase composed of an 95:5 (v/v) methanol:water mixture at a flow-rate of 20µLmin(-1). Quantification was carried out using aqueous standards and detection limits were in the range 0.1-0.5ngmL(-1), corresponding to 3-15ngg(-1) in the cosmetic sample. The recoveries were in the 87-105% range, with RSDs lower than 7.8%. The method was validated according to international guidelines and using a certified reference material.

Pressurized liquid extraction and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for determination of tocopherols and tocotrienols in plant foods by liquid chromatography with fluorescence and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry detection.

Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) were used to isolate and preconcentrate tocopherols and tocotrienols from plant foods. The Taguchi experimental method was used to optimize the six factors (three levels for each factor), affecting DLLME, namely: carbon tetrachloride volume, methanol volume, aqueous sample volume, pH of sample, sodium chloride concentration and time of the centrifugation step. The influencing parameters selected were 2 mL of methanol:isopropanol (1:1) (disperser solvent), 150 µL carbon tetrachloride (extraction solvent) and 10 mL aqueous solution. The organic phase was injected into reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) with an isocratic mobile phase composed of an 85:15 (v/v) methanol:water mixture and a pentafluorophenyl stationary phase. Detection was carried out using both fluorescence and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (APCI-MS) in negative ion mode. Quantification was carried out by the standard addition method. Detection limits were in the range 0.2-0.3 ng mL(-1) for the vitamers with base-line resolution. The recoveries obtained using the optimized DLLME were in the 90-108% range, with RSDs lower than 6.7%. The APCI-MS spectra, in combination with fluorescence spectra, permitted the correct identification of compounds in the vegetable and fruit samples. The method was validated according to international guidelines and using two certified reference materials.

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for the determination of vitamins D and K in foods by liquid chromatography with diode-array and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry detection.

A simple and rapid method was developed using reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) with both diode array (DAD) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometric (APCI-MS) detection, for the simultaneous analysis of the vitamins ergocalciferol (D2), cholecalciferol (D3), phylloquinone (K1), menaquinone-4 (K2) and a synthetic form of vitamin K, menadione (K3). The Taguchi experimental method, an orthogonal array design (OAD), was used to optimize an efficient and clean preconcentration step based on dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME). A factorial design was applied with six factors and three levels for each factor, namely, carbon tetrachloride volume, methanol volume, aqueous sample volume, pH of sample, sodium chloride concentration and time of the centrifugation step. The DLLME optimized procedure consisted of rapidly injecting 3 mL of acetonitrile (disperser solvent) containing 150 µL carbon tetrachloride (extraction solvent) into the aqueous sample, thereby forming a cloudy solution. Phase separation was performed by centrifugation, and the sedimented phase was evaporated with nitrogen, reconstituted with 50 µL of acetonitrile, and injected. The LC analyses were carried out using a mobile phase composed of acetonitrile, 2-propanol and water, under gradient elution. Quantification was carried out by the standard additions method. The APCI-MS spectra, in combination with UV spectra, permitted the correct identification of compounds in the food samples. The method was validated according to international guidelines and using a certified reference material. The validated method was applied for the analysis of vitamins D and K in infant foods and several green vegetables. There was little variability in the forms of vitamin K present in vegetables, with the most abundant vitamer in all the samples being phylloquinone, while menadione could not be detected. Conversely, cholecalciferol, which is present in food of animal origin, was the main form in infant foods, while ergocalciferol was not detected.

Quantification of ß-carotene, retinol, retinyl acetate and retinyl palmitate in enriched fruit juices using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled to liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry.

A detailed optimization of dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) was carried out for developing liquid chromatographic (HPLC) techniques, using both fluorescence and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometric (APCI-MS) detection, for the simultaneous analysis of preforms of vitamin A: retinol (R), retinyl acetate (RA), retinyl palmitate (RP) and ß-carotene (ß-C). The HPLC analyses were carried out using a mobile phase composed of methanol and water, with gradient elution. The APCI-MS and fluorescence spectra permitted the correct identification of compounds in the analyzed samples. Parameters affecting DLLME were optimized using 2 mL of methanol (disperser solvent) containing 150 µL carbon tetrachloride (extraction solvent). The precision ranged from 6% to 8% (RSD) and the limits of detection were between 0.03 and 1.4 ng mL(-1), depending on the compound. The enrichment factor values were in the 21-44 range. Juice samples were analyzed without saponification and no matrix effect was found when using fluorescence detection, so calibration was possible with aqueous standards. However, a matrix effect appeared with APCI-MS, in which case it was necessary to apply matrix-matched calibration. There was great variability in the forms of vitamin A present in the juices, the most abundant ester being retinyl acetate (0.04 to 3.4 µg mL(-1)), followed by the amount of retinol (0.01 to 0.16 µg mL(-1)), while retinyl palmitate was not detected, except in the milk-containing juice, in which RP was the main form. The representative carotenoid ß-carotene was present in the orange, peach, mango and multifruit juices in high amounts. The method was validated using two certified reference materials.

An evaluation of cis- and trans-retinol contents in juices using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled to liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection.

This study describes a method for coupling dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and normal-phase liquid chromatography (NP-LC) with fluorescence detection for vitamin A determination with the view to developing a new green sample preparation technique. Parameters affecting DLLME, including the nature and volume of both extractant and disperser solvents, salt addition and time and speed of the centrifugation step, were optimized. The sample was saponified according to European Standards to convert all forms of vitamin A to retinol. For microextraction, 8 mL water were placed in a glass tube with conical bottom and the saponified sample consisting of 2 mL of the methanolic extract containing 100 µL tetrachloroethane was rapidly injected by syringe, thereby forming a cloudy solution. Phase separation was performed by centrifugation, and a volume of 20 µL of the sedimented phase was analyzed by NP-LC. The enrichment factor, calculated as the ratio between the slopes of DLLME-LC and direct LC, was 50 ± 3. The matrix effect was evaluated for different juice samples, and it was concluded that sample quantification can be carried out by aqueous calibration when the standards are also submitted to saponification. The proposed method was applied for determining both cis- and trans-retinol isomers in commercial juices of different types. The intraday and interday precisions were lower than 6% in terms of relative standard deviation. The method was validated using two certified reference materials.

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled to liquid chromatography for thiamine determination in foods.

A miniaturized dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) procedure coupled to liquid chromatography (LC) with fluorimetric detection was evaluated for the preconcentration and determination of thiamine (vitamin B(1)). Derivatization was carried out by chemical oxidation of thiamine with 5 × 10(-5) M ferricyanide at pH 13 to form fluorescent thiochrome. For DLLME, 0.5 mL of acetonitrile (dispersing solvent) containing 90 µL of tetrachloroethane (extraction solvent) was rapidly injected into 10 mL of sample solution containing the derivatized thiochrome and 24% (w/v) sodium chloride, thereby forming a cloudy solution. Phase separation was carried out by centrifugation, and a volume of 20 µL of the sedimented phase was submitted to LC. The mobile phase was a mixture of a 90% (v/v) 10 mM KH(2)PO(4) (pH 7) solution and 10% (v/v) acetonitrile at 1 mL min(-1). An amide-based stationary phase involving a ligand with amide groups and the endcapping of trimethylsilyl was used. Specificity, linearity, precision, recovery, and sensitivity were satisfactory. Calibration graph was carried out by the standard additions method and was linear between 1 and 10 ng mL(-1). The detection limit was 0.09 ng mL(-1). The selectivity of the method was judged from the absence of interfering peaks at the thiamine elution time for blank chromatograms of unspiked samples. A relative standard deviation of 3.2% was obtained for a standard solution containing thiamine at 5 ng mL(-1). The esters thiamine monophosphate and thiamine pyrophosphate can also be determined by submitting the sample to successive acid and enzymatic treatments. The method was applied to the determination of thiamine in different foods such as beer, brewer's yeast, honey, and baby foods including infant formulas, fermented milk, cereals, and purees. For the analysis of solid samples, a previous extraction step was applied based on an acid hydrolysis with trichloroacetic acid. The reliability of the procedure was checked by analyzing a certified reference material, pig's liver (CRM 487). The value obtained was 8.76 ± 0.2 µg g(-1) thiamine, which is in excellent agreement with the certified value, 8.6 ± 1.1 µg g(-1).