Histamine and other biogenic amines are routinely used as indicators of wine quality. In Switzerland the content of histamine has to be lower than 10 ppm. Histamine is formed from the amino acid histidine by bacteria and is therefore also an indicator of the hygienic conditions that prevailed during wine fermentation. The wine samples have been analysed with non-suppressed ion chromatography using a Metrohm MIC-1 system. Besides the biogenic amines standard cations can be determined in the same run.

The quantitative analysis of organic acids is important for the quality control of wine, because the classes and content of organic acids give a characteristic taste to wine. Acetic acid, lactic acid, succinic acid, malic acid, citric acid and tartaric acid are the main organic acids in wine.

Calvados is an apple-brandy of Normandy (France). Mashed apples are fermented to obtain cider and then distilled to give the young spirit.

The flavours of malt whisky result from a complex blend of long chain esters and alcohols, derived from the distillation products and the composition of the wooden barrels in which the finished product is aged. As shown below, the new VF-WAXms column from Varian, Inc. is ideal for analysing whisky, especially when trace analysis is needed. The column's ultra-low bleed increases sensitivity, extends column life and improves accuracy, even at higher temperatures. In addition, VF-WAXms columns are suitable for use with MS detectors, as the ultra low bleed eliminates interferences and permits more sensitive detection.

Most authorities currently agree that saturated fatty acids are undesirable in one's diet and that hydrogenated fats can also be unhealthy. Whereas, some unsaturated fatty acids and particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids fall into the "healthy" category. Certain unsaturated fatty acids, notably the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, have been said to have beneficial effects. It has therefore become increasingly important to develop analytical procedures that can unambiguously differentiate the various geometric and positional forms of dietary fatty acids. However, trans-unsaturated isomers, like saturated acids, need to be limited in our diet as they are linked to cardiovascular disease.

Traditional HPLC methods use the so-called "analytical" columns, commonly 4.6 × 150 mm packed with 5 μm stationary phase, and run at 1.0–2.0 mL/min. New rapid separation LC (RSLC) columns yield equivalent performance in a shorter run time and consume less solvent, with existing instrumentation. Adapting a method to use 3 μm, 3.0 × 75 mm or shorter columns requires only the use of well-known geometric scaling rules, but the calculations are tedious and error-prone. We present a demonstration of the simplified process for adaptation of methods to RSLC.

The continual increase in sample numbers in busy labs means that it is often difficult for quality control or contract analysis labs to maintain short turnaround times, particularly when instruments are already running at full capacity. To address the need for faster analysis while retaining the quality of separation offered by dedicated amino acid analysers, an improved formulation of sodium citrate based buffers has been developed by Biochrom.

During recent years, the necessity to determine bromate in drinking and mineral waters has increased significantly because bromate is a potential carcinogen. Bromate is generated by the oxidation of bromide traces during water disinfection, for example by ozonization. The US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the European Union (EU) currently prescribe a maximum bromate concentration of 10 parts per billion (ppb) in drinking water. For mineral waters the pertinent regulations stipulate a limit of 3 ppb.

Very low level detection of mycotoxins in the agriculture products has become increasingly important. Mycotoxins are very resistant fungal metabolites that can remain in foods after processing and, sometimes, even after cooking. They are considered potent carcinogens and can be found in many varieties of foods. Of the mycotoxin class, aflatoxins are considered especially harmful, being both acutely and chronically toxic. Aflatoxin B1 and B2 are some of the most potent hepatocarcinogens known. Along with aflatoxins G1 and G2, even extremely low levels of these aflatoxins in the diet are important public-health concerns. With this in mind, this application note describes a specific, robust HPLC method for the low-ppb detection of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 in corn.