Analysis of Aliphatic Organic Acids in Commercial Fruit Juices by Capillary Electrophoresis with Indirect UV Detection: Application to Differentiation of Fruit Juices

Abstract

A simple, cheap, and reliable capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method with indirect UV detection to determine the main organic acids in several fruit juices has been developed in this work. The parameters affecting CZE separation including the chromophore reagent (2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid, PDC) concentration and pH in background electrolyte (BGE), temperature, and applied voltage were studied. The analytical parameters of the method as linearity, precision, and detection and quantification limits were also investigated. The proposed method was applied to the evaluation of organic acid contents of commercial fruit juices from apple, grape, mandarin, orange, and pineapple and compared with the levels allowed by European legislation. A chemometric technique such as linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was also applied to differentiate fruit juices based on CZE data. This simple and reliable developed procedure allows a rapid control of adulteration of high-value commercial fruit juices, which constitutes an important tool for authenticity texting in food industries and regulatory agencies.