Fluorescent HPLC for the detection of specific protein oxidation carbonyls - α-aminoadipic and γ-glutamic semialdehydes - in meat systems.

Precise methodologies for the routine analysis of particular protein carbonyls are required in order to progress in this topic of increasing interest. The present paper originally describes the application of an improved method for the detection of α-aminoadipic and γ-glutamic semialdehydes in a meat system by using a derivatization procedure with p-amino-benzoic acid (ABA) followed by fluorescent high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The method development comprises i) the description of a simple HPLC program which allows the efficient separation of the ABA and the key standard compounds and ii) the optimization of the procedure for the preparation of a meat sample in order to maximize the fluorescent signal for both protein carbonyls. Furthermore, the suitability of this method is evaluated by applying the technique to porcine burger patties. The present procedure enables an accurate and relatively fast analysis of both semialdehydes in meat samples in which they could play an interesting role as reliable indicators of protein oxidation.