Analysis of Enantiomers in Products of Food Interest

Abstract

The separation of enantiomers has been started in the past and continues to be a topic of great interest in various fields of research, mainly because these compounds could be involved in biological processes such as, for example, those related to human health. Great attention has been devoted to studies for the analysis of enantiomers present in food products in order to assess authenticity and safety. The separation of these compounds can be carried out utilizing analytical techniques such as gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, supercritical fluid chromatography, and other methods. The separation is performed mainly employing chromatographic columns containing particles modified with chiral selectors (CS). Among the CS used, modified polysaccharides, glycopeptide antibiotics, and cyclodextrins are currently applied.

Keywords: chiral; chiral stationary phases; enantiomers; food; review.

Figure 1

Scheme of “Three-point” interaction model.

Figure 2

Chemical structure of fenbuconazol enantiomers and its metabolite diastereoisomers. Reproduced with permission of Elsevier from ref. [39].

Figure 3

Typical enantioselective LC–MS/MS chromatograms: (A) chiral triazole fungicides in blank honey spiked using a Chiralcel OD-RH column modified with permission from [57]; (B) 3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol (3-SH 1) and 3-sulfanylhexyl acetate (3-SHA 2) isolated from a Sauvignon blanc wine on a CSP -Amylose-1 column; modified with permission from [48]. (C) Enantiomers resolution of some amino acids in kimchi stored for 25/28 days analyzed on a CSP- CROWNPAK CR-I by LC-TOF; modified with permission from [55]; and (D) Enatiomeric separation of fungicide pyrisoxazole by LC-MS on a CSP- Lux Cellulose-3; modified with permission from Reference [45].