Metodologias analíticas para determinação das fumonisinas em milho e alimentos à base de milho

Fumonisins are mycotoxins occurring worldwide, mainly in maize and maize-based food products, which could affect animal and human health. This paper reviews analytical methodologies for the determination of these fungal toxins in foods. It includes extraction, cleanup, derivatization procedures, detection, quantification, and confirmation procedures. Initial attempts at gas chromatographic methods and thin layer chromatography were supplanted by liquid chromatographic methods, mainly performed with fluorometric detection, or mass spectrometry detection, enabling the analysis of polar and thermolabile chemicals without chemical derivatization, which results in lower limits of detection. Alternative methods, such as enzyme linked immunosorbent assay or zone capillary zone electrophoresis, are also described.

Determinação simultânea de resíduos de cloranfenicol, tianfenicol e florfenicol em leite bovino por cromatografia eletrocinética micelar

A micellar electrokinetic chromatographic method (MEKC) is described for determining residues of amphenicols(chloramphenicol,thiamphenicol and florfenicol) in bovine milk. MEKC is conducted by using a separation buffer consisting of 20 mM Na2HPO4, 10 mM Na2B4O7, 50 mM SDS at pH 8.0; UV detection at 210 nm and 10 kV of voltage. The limit of detection ranged from 4.3-5.3 µg L-1. The MEKC method was applied for the simultaneous determination of amphenicols in milk samples spiked with amphenicols at three concentration levels: 10, 30 and 50 µg L-1. Recoveries ranging from 91-105% were obtained by following a simple extraction/preconcentration procedure.

Preparative separation of flavonoids from the medicinal plant Davilla elliptica St. Hill. by high-speed counter-current chromatography

High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) is a major tool for the fast separation of natural products from plants. It was used for the preparative isolation of the flavonoid monoglucosides present in the aerial parts of the Davilla elliptica St. Hill. (Dilleniaceae). This species is used in Brazilian folk medicine for the treatment of gastric disorders. The optimum solvent system used was composed of a mixture of ethyl acetate-n-propanol-water (140:8:80, v/v/v) and led to a successful separation of quercetin-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside and myricetin-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside in approximately 3.0 hours with purity higher than 95%. Identification was performed by ¹H NMR, 13C NMR and HPLC-UV-DAD analyses.

Caracterização química de extratos de Ocimum basilicum L. obtidos através de extração com CO2 a altas pressões

This work reports extraction yield and chemical characterization of the extracts obtained by high-pressure CO2 extraction of a cultivar of Ocimum basilicum L. The experiments were performed in the temperature range of 20 to 50 °C, from 100 to 250 atm of pressure. Chemical analyses were carried out by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, permitting to identify 23 compounds that were grouped into five chemical classes. Results showed that temperature and solvent density influenced positively the extraction yield. At 20 °C and 0.41 g cm-3 occurred a rise in the concentration of monoterpenes, oxygenated monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and oxygenated sesquiterpenes.

Otimização e validação da técnica de extração líquido-líquido com partição em baixa temperatura (ELL-PBT) para piretróides em água e análise por CG

The liquid-liquid extraction with the low temperature partition technique was developed for the analysis of four pyrethroids in water by CG. Using a factorial design the extraction technique was optimised evaluating the effect of the variables ionic strength, contact time and proportion between sample and solvent volumes. The validation parameters sensitivity, precision, accuracy and detection and quantification limits were evaluated. The LOD and LOQ of the method varied from 1.1 to 3.2 µg L-1 and 2.7 to 9.5 µg L-1, respectively.

A simple and rapid method for urinary acetone analysis by headspace/gas chromatography

Urinalysis of acetone is important to monitor workers occupationally exposed to acetone and/or isopropanol, as well as in diagnosis of some diseases related to lipid metabolism impairment. This work shows a sensitive, simple and rapid static headspace-gas chromatographic procedure for quantitative determination of acetone in urine. The method was applied to measure acetone in 207 samples from general population volunteers, resulting in a mean level of 1.12 mg/L (± 0.47) and a range of 0.20 - 1.95 mg/L. The method is reproducible and reliable, making it suitable for routine analysis of acetone in urine.

Isolamento e avaliação da atividade citotóxica de alguns alcalóides oxaporfínicos obtidos de annonaceae

A different methodology was used to isolate and purify oxoaporphine alkaloids, as they are difficult to separate by the usual workup when in mixture. Alkaloid extracts from Annonaceae species were obtained by base/acid extraction. The extracts were concentrated and submitted to partition in solutions of acids of different pKa values, followed by separation by preparative TLC using 1 mm thick silica gel impregnated with oxalic acid (11.2% w/w). Liriodenine, lisycamine, lanuginosine, and O-methylmoschatoline were obtained and tested against tumoral cells (line Hep2, ATCC-CCL 23, larynx carcinoma). Only O-methylmoschatoline (IC50 12.4 µM) was more active than cisplatin (18.0 µM).

Investigation of the occurrence of pesticide residues in rural wells and surface water following application to tobacco

In this work the exposure of wells and surface water to pesticides, commonly used for tobacco cropping, was assessed. Water consumption wells and surface water flows were sampled at different times. After a preconcentration step with solid phase extraction (SPE), the selected pesticides were determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detection (GC-ECD) or high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). No pesticides were detected in the well water samples and surface water flow in the winter season. However, in the spring and summer higher concentrations of chlorpyrifos and imidacloprid were found in the water source samples. Atrazine, simazine and clomazone were also found. The occurrence of pesticides in collected water samples was related with the application to tobacco.

High performance liquid chromatography method for quantification of the N-phenylpiperazine derivative LASSBio-579 in rat plasma

A rapid HPLC analytical method was developed and validated for the determination of the N-phenylpiperazine derivative LASSBio-579in plasma rat. Analyses were performed using a C18 column and elution with 20 mM sodium dihydrogen phosphate monohydrate - methanol. The analyte was monitored using a photodiode array detector (257 nm). Calibration curves in spiked plasma were linear over the concentration range of 0.3-8 mg/mL with determination coefficient > 0.99. The lower limit of quantification was 0.3 mg/mL. The applicability of the HPLC method for pharmacokinetic studies was tested using plasma samples obtained after administration of LASSBio-579 to Wistar rats, showing the specificity of the method.

Determination of cocaine in brazilian paper currency by capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

The presence of illicit drugs such as cocaine and marijuana in US paper currency is very well demonstrated. However, there is no published study describing the presence of cocaine and/or other illicit drugs in Brazilian paper currency. In this study, Brazilian banknotes were collected from nine cities, extracted and analyzed by capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, in order to investigate the presence of cocaine. Bills were extracted with deionized water followed by ethyl acetate. Results showed that 93% of the bills presented cocaine in a concentration range of 2.38-275.10 µg/bill.

Desenvolvimento e validação de método de análise de glifosato em grãos de soja

The main objective of this work is to develop an efficient procedure to determine glyphosate in soybean grains. The cleanup of the aqueous extracts was done in two steps, beginning with liquid-liquid partitioning and then solid-phase extraction with anion exchange resin. After derivatization with a mixture of trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA) and trifluoroethanol (TFE), quantification was done by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The mean recovery and RSD of the spiked samples were, respectively, 80.5% and 3.1% at level 0.200 mg kg-1, 93.3% and 18.7% at level 0.500 mg kg-1 and 92% and 3.5% at level 1.000 mg kg-1. The method was linear in the working range (correlation coefficient = 0.9965).

Cloud point extraction for the determination of copper in environmental samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A simple cloud point extraction procedure is presented for the preconcentration of copper in various samples. After complexation by 4-hydroxy-2-mercapto-6-propylpyrimidine (PTU), copper ions are quantitatively extracted into the phase rich in Triton X-114 after centrifugation. Methanol acidified with 0.5 mol L-1 HNO3 was added to the surfactant-rich phase prior to its analysis by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Analytical parameters including concentrations for PTU, Triton X-114 and HNO3, bath temperature, centrifugation rate and time were optimized. The influences of the matrix ions on the recoveries of copper ions were investigated. The detection limits (3SDb/m, n=4) of 1.6 ng mL-1 along with enrichment factors of 30 for Cu were achieved. The proposed procedure was applied to the analysis of environmental samples.

Determinação de aflatoxina B1 em pimenta (Piper nigrum L.) e orégano (Origanum vulgare L.) por cromatografia em camada delgada e densitometria

An analytical study based on extraction with methanol-water, immunoaffinity cleanup and separation, identification and quantification of aflatoxin B1 by thin-layer chromatography,in ground black and white pepper and oregano was carried out. Validation of the applied methodology was done through accuracy and precision studies. Recoveries of aflatoxin B1 and relative standard deviations, from spice samples spiked at levels from 4.86 to 97.70 µg/kg, were, respectively, higher than 72% and lower than 20%. Application to spice samples available in Minas Gerais state, purchased at popular markets, showed no contamination with aflatoxin B1.

Caracterização das O-acetil-(4-O-metilglicurono)xilanas isoladas da madeira de Eucalyptus urograndis

The O-acetyl-4-O-methyl-(glucurono)xylans were isolated from E. urograndis by extraction with dimethyl sulfoxide, analysed for monosaccharide composition and structurally characterized by NMR spectroscopy. These xylans contained one 4-O-methyl-glucuronic acid substituent and 5.5 acetyl groups for approximately 10 xylose residues. About 10% of 4-O-methyl-glucuronic acid (MeGlcA) units were branched at O-2. The O-acetyl-4-O-methyl-(glucurono)-xylans were composed of the following (1 → 4)-linked β-D-xylopyranosyl structural elements: unsubstituted (51 mol%), 2-O-acetylated (12 mol%), 3-O-acetylated (20 mol%), 2,3-di-O-acetylated (6 mol%) and [MeGlcA α-(1 → 2)] [3-O-acetylated] (11 mol%). The weight-average molar mass and polydispersity of this xylan were 34.9 kDa and 1.16, respectively, as measured by size-exclusion chromatography.

Extração de β-caroteno de cenouras: uma proposta para disciplinas experimentais de química

This paper reports on the development of a simple and fast procedure for β-carotene extraction from carrots and its quantification by UV/Vis spectroscopy. Carotenoids extracted from carrots may also be used as alternative reagents for TLC (thin layer chromatography) detection of natural compounds with antioxidant properties, replacing the commercial p.a. grade β-carotene. Although this reagent had around 10% b-carotene, it proved to be as efficient for TLC analysis as the commercial p.a. grade β-carotene. This practice is a useful alternative for teaching undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory classes.