Electrochemical study of the flavour enhancer maltol. Determination in foods by liquid chromatography with amperometric detection

The electrochemical behaviour of maltol on a glassy carbon electrode was studied. The results were applied to electrochemical detection in liquid chromatography (LC-ED). Liquid chromatography (LC) and oxidative amperometric detection with a glassy carbon electrode were used for the determination of maltol in food samples. A mobile phase of methanol-acetonitrile-citrate/phosphate buffer, pH = 2.4 (50:48:2) was used with the detector operated at E = 1000mV vs. AgAgCl reference electrode. Under optimal conditions detection and determination limits of 0.1 and 3.7 ng respectively were obtained. The method was used for the determination of maltol in cakes. Conditions for clean-up of the sample were established using solid phase extraction cartridges.