Porous boronate affinity monolith for on-line extraction coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography for sensitive analysis of heterocyclic aromatic amines in food samples

A novel on-line solid-phase microextraction–high-performance liquid chromatography (SPME–HPLC) system was developed for the determination of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in food samples. A poly(vinylphenylboronic acid-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) polymer monolith was prepared for on-line efficient extraction and large-volume injection was used to increase the sensitivity of detection. The polymermonolith, based on a ternary porogen, was prepared by in situ polymerization of vinylphenylboronic acid (VPBA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) in a fused-silica capillary column. It showed good permeability, high extraction capacity, and high selectivity. The column-to-column reproducibility was satisfactory, and the enrichment factors for HAAs were 3746–7414. Conditions influencing the on-line extraction efficiency, including pH of sample solutions, flow rate of extraction and desorption, and desorption volume, were investigated. The proposed method had low limit of detection (0.10–0.15 ng/L) and good linearity. Trace HAAs in roast beef and lamb samples were determined, and the amounts of 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline, 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline, 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline, 2-amino-3,4,8-trimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline, and 2-amino-3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-3H-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline in these samples were 0.235–2.08 ng/g. The recoveries for the five HAAs ranged from74.3% to 119%, and the relative standard deviation (RSDs) were less than 8.2%. The results showed that the proposed on-line method was highly sensitive for monitoring HAAs in different food samples.

A novel on-line solid-phase microextraction–high-performance liquid chromatography (SPME-HPLC) system was developed for the determination of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) in food samples.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide