Fast CE analysis of adrenergic amines in different parts of Citrus aurantium fruit and dietary supplements

A CE method has been developed for the simultaneous analysis of the adrenergic amines synephrine, octopamine and tyramine in Citrus aurantium (bitter orange) fruit extracts and in dietary supplements. The analytes were separated on a fused silica capillary (50 mm id, 40.0 cm effective length, 48.5 cm total length) using a BGE composed of phosphate buffer (pH 2.5, 50 mM) and applying a 30 kV potential. The samples were injected hydrodynamically at 50 mbar for 25 s. The use of photodiode array detection (l5195 nm) allowed the quantification of the analytes and the control of peak purity. The method has been fully validated, obtaining satisfactory values of precision and extraction yield. The analytes are extracted with water from the dried whole fruits or fruit parts (endocarp, mesocarp and exocarp) or from the commercial formulations and directly injected into the CE apparatus. The results obtained were satisfactory in terms of precision (RSD o5.7%) and accuracy (recovery 489%). Thus, the method has demonstrated to be suitable for the qualitative and quantitative determination of synephrine, octopamine and tyramine in C. aurantium extracts, for dietary supplement quality control and for food adulteration identification.