Development of a new method for the determination of 4-hydroxyproline as a measurement of collagen content in meat products and dietary supplements by cyclodextrin-assisted electrokinetic chromatography

The rise in consumption of ultra-processed meat and dietary collagen supplements challenges food quality control. 4-hydroxyproline stands out as collagen signature amino acid, and its determination is a well-known way to estimate collagen content, although for this measurement, the majority of the methods require a mandatory derivatization step. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an innovative method using cyclodextrin-assisted electrokinetic chromatography with indirect UV detection to determine 4-hydroxyproline for collagen moni-toring in dietary supplements and meat products. Separations were performed in fused silica capillaries, at 12.5 degrees C, detection at 220 nm, 30 kV voltage, and hydrodynamic injection. Background electrolyte consisted 25 mmol L-1, 180 mmol L-1, and 10 mmol L-1 of histidine, butylamine, and & beta;-cyclodextrin, respectively, at pH 11.4. Samples were hydrolyzed with sulfuric acid, and their removal was accomplished by simultaneous neutralization/precipitation reactions using strontium carbonate. Validation assured method detectability, ac-curacy (recoveries 88-102%), and precision (CV < 7%). Dietary supplements and meat products were success-fully evaluated, indicating that this method is a feasible quality control alternative.

Automated summary

The rise in consumption of ultra-processed meat and dietary collagen supplements poses a challenge to food quality control. This study aimed to develop a new method using cyclodextrin-assisted electrokinetic chromatography with indirect UV detection to determine 4-hydroxyproline for collagen monitoring in dietary supplements and meat products. The method involved hydrolyzing samples with sulfuric acid and removing them using simultaneous neutralization/precipitation reactions with strontium carbonate. The method was successfully validated and proved to be a feasible alternative for quality control.