Capillary and microchip electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection for analysis of foodstuffs and beverages.

The paper provides a comprehensive survey of the use of capillary and microchip electrophoresis in combination with contactless conductivity detection (C4D) for the analysis of drinking water, beverages and foodstuffs. The introduction sets forth the fundamentals of conductivity detection anddescribes an axialC4Dversion. There is also a detailed discussion of the determination of inorganic ions, organic acids, fatty acids, amino acids, amines, carbohydrates, foreign substances and poisons from the standpoint of separation conditions, sample treatment and detection limits. Special attention is paid to the analysis of foodstuffs at microchips with emphasis on the employed material and connection of the microchip with the C4D. The review attempts to draw attention to modern trends, such as dual-opposite injection, field-enhanced sample injection, electromembrane extraction and on-line combination of microdialysis with CE. CE/C4D is characterised by high universality, high speed of analysis, simple sample preparation, small consumption of sample and other chemicals.