Undeclared (Poly)phosphates Detection in Food of Animal Origin as a Potential Tool toward Fraud Prevention

(Poly)phosphates are approved as water-preserving and emulsifying agents that improve the appearance and consistency of many food products. The labelling of added (poly)phosphates is essential for protecting vulnerable population groups and to prevent unfair trade practices resulting in economic fraud. The problems with (poly)phosphates’ utilisation concerns both analytical and legislative issues, such as: (1) their straightforward detection; (2) excessive addition altering freshness perception and misleading consumers; (3) uncontrolled usage increasing foodstuff weight; (4) application in products where they are not permitted; and (5) no indication on the label. Bearing all these issues in mind, the main purpose of this study was the quantification and screening of the (poly)phosphates profile in meat, marine and dairy products (160 samples), of which 43 were without declared (poly)phosphate treatment. Analysis was completed by high-performance ion-exchange chromatography either with conductometric detection or coupled to Q-Exactive Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry. Although the (poly)phosphates profiles varied greatly according to species and processing type, the following criteria for detection of illicit treatment were established: high orthophosphate level, quantified short-chain (poly)phosphate anions and the presence of long-chain forms. In conclusion, the instrumental platforms used in this study can be recommended to inspection bodies as reliable methods for the detection of food adulteration with (poly)phosphates.

Flow-injection determination of boric acid concentration with conductometric detection

The flow-injection determination of boric acid with conductometric detection in technological environments of the primary circuit of WWER-type nuclear power plant is described. The method consists in periodical dosing a fixed sample volume into the flow of the mannitol solution. As a of the Formation of an anionic boric acid complex with mannitol and equivalent amount of hydroxonium ions, results in an abrupt increase in the electrical conductivity, which is recorded by a conductometric detector. The hydraulic and measuring circuits of the analyzer are implemented using standard ionochromatographic equipment. It is shown than in the concentration range of the analyte 1 – 16 g/liter, the correcting additives of ammonium and potassium hydroxides do not interfere with the results of the analysis. To eliminate the interfering effect of correcting additives at low concentrations of boric acid (0.2 – 1.0 g/liter) we propose to use a Donnan dialysis through a cation exchange membrane. Optimal conditions of the analysis are specified and the metrological characteristics are determined. At a concentration of boric acid of 0.2 g/liter, the standard deviation does not exceed 2%.

Capillary Electrophoretic Analysis of Exhaled Breath Condensate in the Diagnosis of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

In this work, capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductometric detection (CCD) was used for the analysis of the ionic content of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) to differentiate between healthy individuals and patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The exhaled breath condensate was collected using a miniature sample collection device and the content analyzed using a separation electrolyte composed of 20 mM 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid, 20 mM L-histidine, 2 mM 18-Crown-6 and 30 M cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. The separation of anions took less than 2.5 minutes, while the cations were separated in less than 1.5 minutes. The most significantly elevated ions in the group of patients suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease were chloride, nitrate, propionate and butyrate. Although the number of subjects was too small to draw definite conclusions with regard to the discriminatory power of these ions, the pilot data are promising for EBC as a useful non-invasive alternative for other methods used in the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease

On-chip conductometric detection of short DNA sequences via electro-hydrodynamic aggregation

Label-free, conductometric detection of isothermally amplified bacterial DNA was performed in a portable microfluidic system thanks to electro-hydrodynamic aggregation.