Characterization of a sampling unit based on tangential flow filtration for on-line bioprocess monitoring

Principles, developments and applications of on-line coupling of extraction with chromatography

On-line coupling of extraction and chromatographic separation allows the whole analysis to be performed in a closed system. On-line systems are particularly useful when the analytes are labile, the amount of sample is limited, or very high sensitivity is required. Many on-line systems have been developed both for liquid and for solid samples. This review discusses the different instruments that have been constructed and the factors that need to be considered in the coupling. Selected illustrative applications are described to illustrate the potential of the on-line systems.

Determination of several sugars in serum by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection

In this paper, a sensitive, simple and direct method for simultaneous determination of glucose, ribose, isomaltose and maltose in serum sample by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography coupled with integrated pulsed amperometric detection was developed. The four target analytes were easily and completely separated on an anion-exchange column at a flow-rate of 0.25 mL/min by binary step gradient elution in about 16 min and the two eluents were deionized water and 500 mM sodium hydroxide, respectively. The separated four analytes were detected directly by using a gold electrode and quadruple-potential waveform integrated pulsed amperometry without derivatization. Under the optimized conditions, when the injection volume was 25 microL, the detection limits (signal-to-noise ratio equal to 3) for glucose, ribose, isomaltose and maltose were 0.92, 7.50, 12.9 and 10.3 ng/mL, respectively. The calibration graphs of peak area for the four analytes were linear over two to three orders of magnitude with correlation coefficients greater than 0.998. R.S.D. of peak areas of the four analytes for five determinations were no more than 5.6%. The analytical method had been applied to the determination of glucose, ribose, isomaltose and maltose in real serum samples and good results with low relative standard deviation not more than 5.3% were obtained. The accuracy of the proposed method was tested by recovery measurements on spiked samples and good recovery results (98.1-107.9%) were obtained.

Determination of carbohydrates, sugar alcohols, and glycols in cell cultures and fermentation broths using high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection

Cell cultures and fermentation broths are complex mixtures of organic and inorganic compounds. Many of these compounds are synthesized or metabolized by microorganisms, and their concentrations can impact the yields of desired products. Carbohydrates serve as carbon sources for many microorganisms, while sugar alcohols (alditols), glycols (glycerol), and alcohols (methanol and ethanol) are metabolic products. We used high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAE-PAD) to simultaneously analyze for carbohydrates, alditols, and glycerol in growing yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cultures and their final fermentation broths. Both cultures were grown on complex undefined media, aliquots centrifuged to remove particulates, and the supernatants diluted and directly injected for analysis. Pulsed amperometry allowed a direct detection of the carbohydrates, alditols, and glycols present in the cultures and fermentation broths with very little interference from other matrix components. The broad linear range of three to four orders of magnitude allowed samples to be analyzed without multiple dilutions. Peak area RSDs were 2-7% for 2, 3-butanediol, ethanol, glycerol, erythritol, rhamnose, arabitol, sorbitol, galactitol, mannitol, arabinose, glucose, galactose, lactose, ribose, raffinose, and maltose spiked into a heat-inactivated yeast culture broth supernatant that was analyzed repetitively for 48 h. This method is useful for directly monitoring culture changes during fermentation. The carbohydrates in yeast cultures were monitored over 1 day. A yeast culture with medium consisting primarily of glucose and trace levels of trehalose and arabinose showed a drop in sugar concentration over time and an increase in glycerol. Yeast growing on a modified culture medium consisting of multiple carbohydrates and alditols showed preference for specific carbon sources and showed the ability to regulate pathways leading to catalysis of alternative carbon sources.

Membrane-based sample preparation coupled on-line to chromatography or electrophoresis

A review on the use of membranes for on-line sample preparation prior to chromatographic and electrophoretic analysis is provided. The current state-of-the-art of four membrane-based techniques (dialysis, electrodialysis, filtration and membrane extraction) is described by reviewing their principles and applications. Possible future developments are discussed.

Applying hollow fibres for separating free and bound label in continuous-flow immunochemical detection

On-line liquid chromatography-immunochemical detection (LC-ICD) provides the possibility to individually monitor cross-reactive compounds overcoming the need of tedious fraction collection. ICD is performed as a post-column reaction detection system and is based on a two-step immunoreaction. In the first step unlabelled antibodies are added to the LC effluent and allowed to react with antigens (analytes) eluting from the LC column. The amount of analytes bound to the antibodies is measured by adding, in a second step, labelled antigen to the reaction mixture. For quantitation, free and bound label need to be separated prior to detection. The present paper describes a hollow fibre module (HFM), which can be used for this purpose. Separation of free and bound label occurs on discrimination by size. Using biotin as a model compound, a detection limit of 30 nmol/l can be reached employing anti-biotin antibodies and a low-molecular-mass fluorescence label in the LC-ICD system. Additional to low-molecular-mass labels, the HFM allows the use of small enzyme labels. In this context, horseradish peroxidase-labelled biotin was used as a label in combination with antibodies in the immunochemical detection of biotin. This allows future implementation of commercially available enzyme immunoassay kits in continuous-flow immunochemical detection.