Ivana Novak

Ultrasound extracted flavonoids from four varieties of Portuguese red grape skins determined by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

Several flavonoids present in red grape skins from four varieties of Portuguese grapes were determined by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with electrochemical detection (ECD). Extraction of flavonoids from red grape skins was performed by ultrasonication, and hydrochloric acid in methanol was used as extraction solvent. The developed RP-HPLC method used combined isocratic and gradient elution with amperometric detection with a glassy carbon-working electrode. Good peak resolution was obtained following direct injection of a sample of red grape extract in a pH 2.20 mobile phase. Eleven different flavonoids: cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (kuromanin), delphinidin-3-O-glucoside (myrtillin), petunidin-3-O-glucoside, peonidin-3-O-glucoside, malvidin-3-O-glucoside (oenin), (+)-catechin, rutin, fisetin, myricetin, morin and quercetin, can be separated in a single run by direct injection of sample solution. The limit of detection obtained for these compounds by ECD was 20-90 pg/L, 1000 times lower when compared with photodiode array (PDA) limit of detection of 12-55 ng/L. RP-HPLC-ECD was characterized by an excellent sensitivity and selectivity, and appropriate for the simultaneous determination of these electroactive phenolic compounds present in red grape skins.

Abrasive Stripping Square-Wave Voltammetry of Blackberry, Raspberry, Strawberry, Pomegranate, and Sweet and Blue Potatoes

Electro-oxidation potentials of 7 fruits and vegetables were determined by abrasive stripping voltammetry. The responses were characterized by 2 peaks with maxima at 0.45 and 0.55 V compared with Ag/AgCl, respectively. Both electrode reactions appear reversible at a frequency of 8 Hz. They can be ascribed to anthocyanidins and ellagic acid as electroactive compounds. By this method, an antioxidative capacity of a certain plant can be quickly estimated without extraction of active components.

Electroanalytical Oxidation of p‐Coumaric Acid

Abstract The mechanism of the electrochemical oxidation of p‐coumaric acid on a glassy carbon electrode was investigated using cyclic, differential pulse, and square wave voltammetry at different pHs. The oxidation of p‐coumaric acid is irreversible over the whole pH range. After successive scans, the p‐coumaric acid oxidation product deposits on the electrode surface, forming a polymeric film that undergoes reversible oxidation at a lower potential than p‐coumaric acid. This polymeric film increases in thickness with the number of scans, covering the electrode surface, and impeding the diffusion of the p‐coumaric acid and its oxidation on the electrode. The oxidation of p‐coumaric acid is pH dependent up until values close to the pKa. For pHs higher than pKa, the p‐coumaric acid oxidation process is pH independent. An electroanalytical determination procedure of p‐coumaric in pH 8.7 0.2 M ammonium buffer was developed, and a detection limit, LOD=83 nM, and the limit of quantification, LOQ=250 nM, were obtained.