Review of the Analytical Methods Based on HPLC-Electrochemical Detection Coupling for the Evaluation of Organic Compounds of Nutritional and Environmental Interest

Abstract

This review would like to show the state of the art regarding the coupling of High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with Electrochemical Detection (ED). Since a universal detector for HPLC is not available, the electrochemical detection methods, thanks to their versatility and specificity, are competitive with respect to the detectors currently used. The papers present in literature on HPLC-ED technique are analyzed and discussed: for example, they regard the development of analytical determinations of resveratrol, rosmarinic acid, aromatic heterocyclic amines and glyphosate in food matrices such as meat, aromatic plants, vegetables, fruit and tomato juices. These papers show that electrochemical sensors used as detectors for HPLC can offer better sensitivity values than other detectors. Furthermore, the use of specific working potentials allows avoid matrix interferences to be avoided by almost exclusively determining the analytes of interest. It should be underlined that HPLC-ED methods have a selectivity that allows for limitation of the sample preparation and clean-up procedures to a minimum, making them quick and easy to apply. In addition, these methods offer advantages such as the possibility of direct analysis, that derivatization is often not necessary, the cost-effectiveness of the instrumentation and the possibility of regenerating the electrodes which allows numerous analyses in succession.

Amanitins in Wild Mushrooms: The Development of HPLC-UV-EC and HPLC-DAD-MS Methods for Food Safety Purposes

“…The presence of a 6-hydroxytryptophan, an indole nucleus, in α- and β-amanitins makes it possible to detect these compounds by using an electrochemical detector operating in an oxidative mode [ 37 , 38 ]. EC detectors are usually more sensitive and selective than a standard UV detector, although they disadvantageously require more time to stabilize [ 31 , 32 ].…”

“…Several studies have been described for the determination of amatoxins in wild mushrooms based on reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with different detection techniques, such as ultraviolet (UV) [ 23 ], diode array detection (DAD) [ 24 , 25 , 26 ], mass spectrometry MS-TOF [ 27 ], and DAD-MS [ 28 , 29 , 30 ]. Electrochemical detection (EC), either amperometric or coulometric, can be very attractive due to its specificity and sensitivity for the detection of easily oxidizable compounds in food, environmental, and biological samples [ 31 , 32 , 33 ]. Furthermore, the EC detectors are inexpensive, easy to assemble, and of high analytical robustness [ 31 ].…”

“…Electrochemical detection (EC), either amperometric or coulometric, can be very attractive due to its specificity and sensitivity for the detection of easily oxidizable compounds in food, environmental, and biological samples [ 31 , 32 , 33 ]. Furthermore, the EC detectors are inexpensive, easy to assemble, and of high analytical robustness [ 31 ].…”