HPLC determination of γ-aminobutyric acid in Chinese rice wine using pre-column derivatization

γ‐Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a major functional ingredient in Chinese rice wine. A new HPLC method for determining GABA using pre‐column derivatization with dansyl chloride was developed. The HPLC operating conditions were as follows: a Hypersil ODS2 C18 column; mobile phase, methanol and water (1:1); gradient elution; absorption at 254 nm; flow rate, 1 mL/min; pH 9; and column temperature, 30 °C. Under optimal HPLC conditions, the linear equation was y = 3.5 × 10−7x − 0.014. The precision (relative standard deviation, RSD) was 0.54%, the stability (RSD) was 0.21%, the recovery ratio was 97.4% and reproducibility (RSD) was 1.57%. This new method appears to be sensitive, accurate, convenient, steady and relatively fast. The results suggest that the new method is also more reliable. Copyright © 2015 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling