Determination of Free and Total Underivatized Amino Acids Including L-Canavanine in Bitter Vetch Seeds Using Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography

A new hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography method coupled with diode-array detector was developed for the determination of 17 underivatized amino acids including L-canavanine in bitter vetch [Vicia ervilia (L.) Willd.] seeds. Amino acids were extracted as free as well as total extracts after acid hydrolysis, followed by chromatographic separation on a Zorbax Rx-SIL column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile/potassium phosphate buffer (12.5?mM; pH 3.0) using gradient elution and detection at 190?nm. The method is characterized by a wide linear range (0.01–200?µg/mL, r?>?0.9987), sufficient accuracy (relative error 86.3–109.1%), and suitable precision for the results (relative standard deviation <4.9% in the case of intra-day and <9.8% in the case of inter-day precision). The limits of detection and quantification for free amino acids ranged from 0.01 to 0.24?mg/g and 0.03 to 0.72?mg/g, respectively, whereas the total amino acids ranged from 0.02 to 0.47?mg/g and 0.07 to 1.43?mg/g, respectively. The mean recoveries of free and total amino acids in spiked samples exceeded 70.3% for most amino acids. The mean total content of free and total amino acids in bitter vetch seeds was 1.71 and 14.88?g/100?g seed, whereas the corresponding values for canavanine were 0.07 and 0.19?g/100?g seed, respectively.     

Enantiomeric separations of amino acids with inductively coupled plasma carbon emission detection

A chiral crown ether column with a pH 1.9 perchloric acid buffered aqueous mobile phase is used to separate amino acid enantiomers by high performance liquid chromatography. An inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer coupled to the chromatographic system is used as a detector by monitoring the carbon atomic emission line at 193.09 nm. Seven underivatized amino acids are separated and detected resulting in an average mass detection limit of 5 ng (2.5 ng carbon). The chiral crown ether column resolves compounds with a primary amino group near the chiral center by forming a complex between the crown ether and an ammonium ion moiety from the sample. The -form amino acid always elutes faster than its antipode. The carbon emission detector provides nearly identical sensitivities and similar detection limits for any compounds with comparable mass percents of carbon. Quantification is performed on unknown ratios of amino acids using an internal standard without the need for a calibration curve. Summing the calculated amounts of and amino acid and comparing to the known mixture quantity results in an average error of 1.0% for the seven amino acids separated.     

Pressurized gradient capillary electrochromatographic separation of eighteen amino acid derivatives

A pressurized gradient capillary electrochromatography (pCEC) instrument was developed to separate 18 amino acid derivatives. A reversed-phase C18 column (3 microm, 130 mm x 75 microm I.D.) and an acetate buffer (50 mmol/l NaAc, pH 6.4) with an ion-pair reagent (1% N,N-dimethylformamide) were used to separate derivatized amino acids from a standard solution (2 microg/ml), and the wavelength of the UV-Vis detector was 360 nm. The pressure on the capillary column was kept at approx. 70 Pa and 3 kV positive voltage was added on the outlet end of column. The effect of voltage on the eluting order of amino acids and the resolution of separation were studied, and it was found that when the voltage was higher than 3 kV, the adsorption of amino acids in the porous C18 column occurred. The effect of salt concentration, injection volume, and column length on the separation of amino acids was determined. The amino acid sample was separated by pCEC, and RSDs of the migration times of each amino acid were all less than 2.5%.     

二维阀切换离子色谱法测定海带中游离氨基酸

建立一种测定海带中游离氨基酸的阀切换高效阴离子交换色谱耦合脉冲安培检测器法。采用一根阳离子交换柱对氨基酸进行富集,而后经阀切换至氨基酸分析柱Amino Pac~PA-10(250 mm×2 mm)上分离并进入安培检测器检测。在最佳分离条件下,20种氨基酸的质量浓度在0.1~20.0 mg/L范围内与其色谱峰面积线性关系良好,线性相关系数r~20.99,20种氨基酸的检出限为0.01 mg/L,加标回收率为83.12%~117.34%,测定结果的相对标准偏为1.02%~13.05%(n=8)。该方法样品前处理简单,无基底杂质干扰,适用于海带样品中游离氨基酸的测定。     

Determination of amino acids by gas chromatography using a wide bore capillary column

A procedure is described in which a wide bore capillary column is used as an alternative to the more traditional packed column for the quantitative analysis of amino acids as their N-heptafluorobutyryl isobutyl ester (HBB) derivatives. The column, installed in a gas chromatograph previously configured for use with a packed column, is shown to give good reproducibility by repeated determination of amino acid response factors (RSD values for all amino acids are below 3%). A number of problems, encountered during the use of this column, are discussed and suitable techniques to overcome them are reported.     

Determination of amino acids in apple extracts by high performance liquid chromatography

Summary A rapid and sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of primary amino acids in apple is described. After sample preparation, amino acids were derivatized with o-phthaldialdehyde/2-mercaptoethanol and separated on a reversed phase column with a gradient of phosphate buffer-tetrahydrofuran-methanol as the mobile phase. Detection was carried out with a fluorescence detector at excitation and emission wavelengths of 340 nm and 425 nm respectively. Recovery studies showed good results for all substances (91–109%) (with coefficients of variation ranging, from 0.1 to 9.0%). This method was applied to the monitoring of amino acids during the ripening of apples.     

Sensitive analysis of amino acids in injection liquor by reversed-phase HPLC

A convenient derivatization method of amino acids with l-fluoro-2,4-dimtrobenzene as reaction reagent and a separation system were described. The derivative amino acids were separated on a specific chemically bonded phase column with a simple linear gradient elution consisting of aqueous buffer and methanol. The eluate was detected by common ultraviolet absorption detector at 360 nm. The detection limits of amino acids were as low as 10 picomole. This method has been successfully applied to assay amino acid injection liquor used in hospital. It has good repro-ducibility and precision. The procedures avoid the requirements of particular derivative equipment and analyzer employed in conventional amino acid analysis.     

Flow injection sample processing with nickel oxide electrode amperometric detection of amino acids separated by ion-exchange chromatography

A new automatic post-column sampler has been designed and used for interfacing the column outlet to a flow injection system. Segments of the effluent from the column are injected into the flow injection apparatus at regular intervals. Separation and detection of several amino acids are described. A nickel oxide electrode detector yields characteristic, useful signals for concentrations as low as 10^-6 M. Samples containing 20–35 μg of total amino acids in 1 ml were chromatographed.     

柱前衍生–高效液相色谱法测定白刺果中氨基酸含量

建立一种快速测定不同产地的白刺果中氨基酸含量的HPLC方法。采用柱前邻苯二甲醛(OPA)和氯甲酸芴甲酯(FMOC)联合在线衍生、二元梯度洗脱(流动相A:40 mmol/L NaH2PO4·H2O,pH 7.8;流动相B:乙腈–甲醇–水的体积比为4.5∶4.5∶1)、反相C18短柱分离(色谱柱:Zorbax Eclipse AAA C18柱,75 mm×4.6 mm,3.5μm)、二极管阵列检测器(检测波长:338 nm;参考波长:390 nm)和荧光检测器(激发波长:340 nm;发射波长:450nm)联合检测,内标法定量。各氨基酸含量在4.5~900μmol/L范围内线性关系良好,相关系数为0.991 2~0.999 8,除了蛋氨酸(部分氧化降解)加标回收率为78.1%外,其它各氨基酸的加标回收率为93.1%~105.1%,相对标准偏差为3.21%~6.23%(n=5)。对产自青海、新疆和内蒙古等3个地区的白刺果中氨基酸含量进行了测定,氨基酸总量分别为11.23,10.47,8.84 g/(100 g),并对各种不同类型氨基酸占氨基酸总量的比例进行了分析。该法适合于白刺果氨基酸含量的测定。     

Separation of α‐ from β‐arylalanines by nickel nitrilotriacetate chromatography

A method is described to separate α‐ from β‐arylalanines by ligand exchange chromatography on a nickel nitrilotriacetate agarose column with UV monitoring of the effluent. Separate mixtures containing an α‐ and β‐arylalanine pair (1 mg of each) were individually loaded onto the nickel resin pre‐equilibrated with the mobile phase at room temperature, and the amino acids were eluted from the column with a gradient from pH 12.0–8.0. The β‐arylalanines eluted first, followed by the α‐isomers. The four α/β‐amino acid pairs tested were well separated with baseline resolution. An aliquot of each fraction was chemically treated to derivatize the amino acids to their N‐acyl methyl ester analogs, and their identities were confirmed by GC/MS analysis. The sample recovery was quantitative (>98%), and the column matrix was very resilient, as demonstrated by consistent separation of the solutes after ～100 preparative cycles.     

高效液相色谱-蒸发光散射检测法直接检测20种未衍生基本氨基酸

应用国产蒸发光散射检测器(ELSD),建立了一种采用反相高效液相色谱-蒸发光散射检测器(RHPLC-ELSD)直接测定20种未衍生基本氨基酸的分析方法,并将其用于氨基酸注射液中氨基酸含量的测定。采用BISCHOFFTM　C18 AQ PLUS色谱柱(250 mm×4.6 mm, 5 μm)分离,以甲醇-0.2%七氟丁酸溶液(含0.1%三氟乙酸)为流动相进行梯度洗脱,流速0.8 mL/min,ELSD飘移管温度40 ℃,载气流量2.5 L/min,对20种基本氨基酸进行分离检测。氨基酸的质量浓度在30～300 mg/L范围内,其峰面积的对数值与进样质量的对数值呈良好的线性关系;氨基酸的检出限(信噪比(S/N)＞3)介于24 ～100 ng之间,样品加标回收率为90.6%～106.0%。结果表明,该系统及方法操作简便快速、准确可靠,无需依靠专门的氨基酸分析仪或衍生处理氨基酸即可直接测定氨基酸注射液中氨基酸含量,为药品、食品及化工生产等领域混合氨基酸样品的直接检测提供了参考。     

Determination of D- and L-amino acids in biological samples by two-dimensional column liquid chromatography

Summary A two-dimensional, column liquid chromatographic system is used for the determination of the D- and L-enantiomers of amino acids in biological samples. Separation of the amino acids is first on ion-exchange column by gradient elution with a sodium citratesodium chloride buffer. Enantioseparation is by subsequent injection of 3 l heart-cuts of the individual amino acids onto a second column with a chiral crown ether stationary phase. Finally, fluorescence detection is after post-column labelling of the amino acids using ano-phthalaldehyde-2-mercaptoethanol reagent solution. The high separation power and selectivity of the system allow processing of complex samples with hardly any additional treatment and the determination of small quantities of D-amino acids in the presence of excess L-form. Applicability of the system is illustrated by the determination of D- and L-aspartate, serine, glutamate and alanine in various complex biological samples, such as protein hydrolysates, urine and biotechnological and food samples. Data are given on detectability, repeatability and linearity.     

Direct RP‐HPLC determination of underivatized amino acids with online dual UV absorbance,fluorescence, and multiple electrochemical detection

The combined use of a dual‐UV detector, a fluorimetric one and of a multiple electrochemical (EC) detector equipped with a dual electrode, consisting of a conventional size 3 mm diameter glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and of a pair of 30 μm thick carbon microfibers, is proposed for the determination of 15 amino acids, two dipeptides and creatinine. This online coupling of the above detection modes could partially replace amino acid analysis by derivatization methods, since it solves problems concerning the direct detection of selected underivatized amino acids. Additionally, it was proved that the use of multiple‐detection allows positive peak identification in a single chromatographic run, yields more information for free amino acids and solves in some cases the problem of chromatographic resolution. In order to optimize the detection conditions of the underivatized amino acids and related compounds by different detectors, their detection characteristics were determined by adequate preliminary experiments. The electro‐oxidation characteristics of the underivatized compounds of interest were determined by hydrodynamic voltammetry using a flow cell with a macrodisc GCE and by ex‐situ voltammetry using both a GCE of conventional size and a carbon fiber disk microelectrode. Important practical advantages of microfiber and microdisk electrodes with respect to macroelectrodes were demonstrated.     

Determination of soil amino acids by high performance liquid chromatography-electro spray ionization-mass spectrometry derivatized with 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate

Determination of amino acids by mass spectrometry (MS) is an important technique to investigate soil nitrogen transformation and cycling as amino acids being the major nitrogen-containing compounds in soil organic matter. However, researchers have long faced a critical problem in coupling an efficient separation technique to a sensitive MS detection system simultaneously. In this context, we established a new method of liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry based on the 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl carbamate (AQC) derivatization method for convenient and accurate quantification of amino acids in soil samples. Baseline separation of 17 amino acid AQC-derivatives was achieved on an XTerra^R MS C₁₈ column using ammonium formate as a mobile phase modifier. The concentration of ammonium formate and the pH of the mobile phase were optimized in order to obtain sensitive MS signals. The response curves were linear over the range of 50-800 μmol L⁻¹ amino acids. The detection limits were 0.20-0.60 pmol μL⁻¹ on column and 0.07-0.24 μg g⁻¹ soil under the optimized conditions. The method has been applied successfully for the first time to determine amino acids in 4 types of soil samples, in which 15 amino acids were quantified by MS detector but methionine and cystine were below the detection limits. Both the recovery and the precision were satisfactory. Hence, this proposed technique shows a potential for the identification of amino acids in soil as well as tracing the transformation of soil amino acids with isotope dilution technique in nitrogen cycling investigation.     

Retention behavior of a homologous series and positional isomers of aliphatic amino acids in hydrophilic interaction chromatography

The retention behavior of several series of free α‐ and ω‐amino acids and positional isomers of amino pentanoic acid in the hydrophilic interaction chromatography mode (HILIC) was studied. The study was carried out on three stationary phases followed by post‐column derivatization with fluorescence detection in order to describe the retention mechanism of the tested amino acids. The effect of chromatographic conditions including acetonitrile content in the mobile phase, mobile phase pH (ranging from 3.5 to 6.5) and concentration of buffer in the mobile phase was investigated. The effect of the number of carbon atoms (n_C) in aliphatic chains of the individual homologue of α‐ and ω‐amino acids and the logarithm of the partition coefficient (logD) on retention was also a part of the presented study. A good correlation (r > 0.98) between the logk and logD values of amino acids or n_C, respectively, was observed. The described linear relationships were subsequently applied to predict the retention behavior of individual members of the homologous series of amino acids and to optimize the mobile phase composition in HILIC. The obtained results confirmed that the retention mechanism of α‐amino acids, ω‐amino acids and positional isomers of amino acids was based on the logD values and the number of carbon atoms in the aliphatic chains of amino acids. The elution order of ω‐amino acids and positional isomers of amino pentanoic acid was strongly dependent on the mobile phase pH in the investigated range whereas the retention factors of all α‐amino acids remained essentially unchanged on all tested stationary phases.     

Analysis of free amino acids in Amur sturgeon by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography using pre‐column derivatization with 6‐aminoquinolyl‐carbamyl

A rapid, sensitive, and reliable ultra‐performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with photodiode array detection method was developed for the amino acid analysis of Amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii Brandt). The method uses minimal sample volume and automated online precolumn derivitization of amino acids with fluorescent 6‐aminoquinolyl‐carbamyl reagent. The chromatographic separation was achieved by UPLC, which used a column with 1.7 μm particle packing that enabled higher speed of analysis, peak capacity, greater resolution, and increased sensitivity. Amino acid derivatives obtained under optimal conditions were separated on a Waters UPLC BEH C₁₈ column with Acetonitrile–acetate buffer as mobile phase. Matrix effects were investigated and good linearities with correlation coefficients better than 0.9949 were obtained over a wide range of 5–1000 μmol/L for all amino acids. The simple sample preparation and minimal sample volume make the method useful for the quantitation of 17 amino acids in Amur sturgeon samples. It is concluded that a rapid and robust platform based on UPLC was established, and a total of 17 amino acids of Amur sturgeon were tentatively detected. This method showed good accuracy and repeatability that can be used for the quantification of amino acids in real samples.     

Quantitative analysis of 17 amino acids in tobacco leaves using an amino acid analyzer and chemometric resolution

A method was developed for quantifying 17 amino acids in tobacco leaves by using an A300 amino acid analyzer and chemometric resolution. In the method, amino acids were eluted by the buffer solution on an ion‐exchange column. After reacting with ninhydrin, the derivatives of amino acids were detected by ultraviolet detection. Most amino acids are separated by the elution program. However, five peaks of the derivatives are still overlapping. A non‐negative immune algorithm was employed to extract the profiles of the derivatives from the overlapping signals, and then peak areas were adopted for quantitative analysis of the amino acids. The method was validated by the determination of amino acids in tobacco leaves. The relative standard deviations (n = 5) are all less than 2.54% and the recoveries of the spiked samples are in a range of 94.62–108.21%. The feasibility of the method was proved by analyzing the 17 amino acids in 30 tobacco leaf samples.     

Quantitative evaluation of amino acids using microwave accelerated hydrolysis

Summary An improved method for the quantitative determination of amino acids using HPLC, after preliminary derivatisation with o-phthalaldehyde, is described. Separation was carried out on a LiChrospher RP-18 column, using gradient elution and a fluorescence detector. Hydrolysis was performed with 6M HCl or with 3M p-toluenesulphonic acid depending on the amount of carbohydrates in the sample. In addition, the time required for total hydrolysis was shortened from 24 hours to 15 minutes by the use of a microwave oven. The results with these two hydrolytic methods are compared with regard to the extent of peptide bond cleavage and the percentage of decomposition of amino acids in a test mixture.     

LC-Fluorescence Detection Analysis of Amino Acids from Stellera chamaejasme L. Using 2-[2-(Dibenzocarbazole)-ethoxy] Ethyl Chloroformate as Labeling Reagent

A pre-column derivatization method for the sensitive determination of amino acids using the tagging reagent 2-[2-(dibenzocarbazole)-ethoxy] ethyl chloroformate (DBCEC) followed by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection has been developed. Identification of DBCEC-amino acids derivatives was by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS–MS). DBCEC can easily and quickly label amino acids, and derivatives are stable enough to be efficiently analyzed by LC. Separation of the derivatized amino acids had been optimized on Hypersil BDS C₁₈ column. A perfect baseline separation for 20 amino acid derivatives was achieved with a ternary gradient elution program. The chromophore of dibenzocarbazole group, which comprise a large rigid planar structure with p–π conjugation system, resulted in a sensitive fluorescence detection for amino acid derivatives. The derivatized amino acids were detected with fluorescence detector with excitation maximum and emission maximum at 300 and 390 nm, respectively. Excellent linear responses were observed with coefficients of >0.9993, and detection limits were in the range of 0.78–5.13 fmol (signal-to-noise ratio of 3). The mean accuracy ranged from 83.4 to 98.7% for fluorescence detection. The mean inter-day precision for all standards was <4.2% of the expected concentration. Therefore, the proposed method was a highly sensitive and specific method for the quantitative analysis of amino acids from biological and natural environmental samples.     

反相高效液相色谱法测定白肋烟烟叶中的游离氨基酸

建立了一种用于烟草中游离氨基酸测定的反相高效液相色谱法．实验采用超声波水解、邻苯二甲醛／3-巯基丙酸作为衍生剂进行柱前衍生．色谱柱为依利特C18柱（4．6mmi．d．×250mm,5μm）,流动相A为18mmol／L的醋酸钠溶液（pH7．2）含体积分数为0．002％的三乙胺和0．3％的四氢呋喃,流动相B组成为：100mmol／L的醋酸钠溶液（pH7．2）-乙腈-甲醇（体积比为1：2：2）,流速为1．0mL／min,柱温为40℃．荧光检测器,激发波长350nm,发射波长450nm．方法的回收率为95．3％～100．7％,RSD为2．32％～9．24％（n=6）．该方法简便、准确、重现性好．测定了不同肥料配比生产的白肋烟烟叶中17种游离氨基酸的含量．结果表明,不论有机肥与无机肥怎样配比,天冬氨酸的含量与各氨基酸相比都是最高的;随着饼肥的加入,大部分氨基酸的含量是先增加后逐渐降低的趋势,15％饼肥＋85％无机肥与30％饼肥＋70％无机肥配比时,大部分游离氨基酸的含量接近,30％饼肥＋70％无机肥配比时的游离氨基酸总量最高,综合考虑,30％饼肥＋70％无机肥配比时的烟叶质量最好．