Author(s): SCHERER, R.; RYBKA, A. C. P.; BALLUS, C. A.; MEINHART, A. D.; TEIXEIRA FILHO, J.; GODOY, H. T.

Summary: A liquid chromatographic method for fast and simultaneous determination of tartaric, malic, ascorbic and citric acids was validated for further application to fruits and juices. Moreover, the organic acids content of commercial samples of fruits and juices were evaluated, as well as the ascorbic acid stability during the storage. Determination of organic acids was carried out using a liquid chromatograph coupled to a diode array detector, with reversed phase (C18 column) and isocratic elution with 0.01 mol L1 KH2PO4 (pH = 2.60) mobile phase. The validation parameters showed efficiency, adequate linearity, relative standard deviation values between 0.4% and 2.3% (n = 10) for repeatability and from 1.2% to 5.0% (n = 18) for reproducibility, limits of detection (LD) were between 0.03 and 3.31 lg mL1 and quantification (LQ) were between 0.10 and 11.03 lg mL1, recovery rates were between 82% and 110%, for two levels. In addition, the method is fast (10 min) and generates low and non-toxic residues. The values found for vitamin C were about 10 times above the values declared at the package. Ready to drink juices have a composition similar to the fruit, concerning to organic acids, except for the powder juice, in which only ascorbic and citric acids were found, for all tastes. After opening the package, a decrease of 14.0% and 27.0% in ascorbic acid content was observed for orange powder and ready to drink juices, respectively.

Publication year: 2012

Types of publication: Journal article

Unit: Embrapa Semi-arid Region

Keywords: Cromatografia líquida, Estabilidade de ácido ascórbico, Fruits, Fruta, HPLC, Juices, Processamento, Pós-Colheita, Suco, Sucos de frutas, Validação do método, Ácidos orgânicos