Enhancing Fluorescence LC Analysis of Biogenic Amines in Fish Tissues by Precolumn Derivatization with Naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde

This work reports a sensitive high-pressure liquid chromatography method for the simultaneous determination of biogenic mono- and diamines in fish tissues. Highly fluorescent derivatives of the amines were obtained by precolumn derivatization with naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde, in the presence of cyanide ion as the nucleophile and of heptylamine as the internal standard. The chromatographic separation was performed using a mobile phase of acetonitrile/methanol/10 % ( v/v ) acetone in water, delivered in gradient mode on an Inertsil ODS-3 column (250 × 4 mm i.d., 5 μm). The method was successfully applied to the analysis of fresh and canned tuna fish tissues, subjected to ultrasound-assisted liquid–liquid extraction. The variables affecting the derivatization yield as well as the extraction recovery of the analytes from the sample matrix were investigated. Results were quantified against the internal standard, according to the matrix-matched approach. Limits of detection between 2.5 and 330 mg kg −1 sample were achieved. The precision and accuracy of assay in samples was satisfactory, yielding relative standard deviation and recovery values between 0.3 and 4.2 % and 81.0 and 102.5 %, respectively.