Fast and simultaneous detection of prominent natural antioxidants using analytical microsystems for capillary electrophoresis with a glassy carbon electrode: a new gateway to food environments.

This paper examines for the first time the analytical possibilities of fast and simultaneous detection of prominent natural antioxidants including examples of flavonoids and vitamins using a CE microchip with electrochemical detection (ED). Unpinched injection conditions, zone electrophoretic separation and amperometric detection were carefully assayed and optimised. Analysis involved the zone electrophoretic separation of arbutin, (+)-catechin and ascorbic acid in less than 4 min using a borate buffer (pH 9.0, 50 mM), employing 2 kV as the separation voltage and +1.0 V as the detection potential. In addition, the separation of different 'couples' of natural antioxidants of food significance including (+)-catechin and ascorbic acid, (+)-catechin and rutin, as well as arbutin and phlorizdin is proposed. To demonstrate the potential and future role of CE microsystems, analytical possibilities and a new route in the raw sample analysis are presented. The preliminary results obtained allow the proposal of CE-ED microchips as a real gateway to microanalysis in foods.