Determination of free amino acids content in alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages using the AccQ•Tag Ultra Derivatization Kit

Beverage manufacturers often monitor essential and non-essential amino acids as they influence flavor and taste. Amino acid analysis commonly uses long high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods or requires specialized amino acid analyzers that cannot be used for other applications. In this application note, Waters Corporation presents a fast ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC ™) analysis with a 10-minute gradient that allows the easy quantification of amino acids as well as the flexibility of system use for other applications.

Retail samples for fermented beverages such as white wine, cider and kombucha, alongside soft drinks and sports nutrition beverage powder have been derivatized with the AccQ•Tag Ultra Derivatization Kit. The separation was performed using a previously established set of methods on an ACQUITY ™ UPLC H-Class PLUS System with a photo diode array (PDA) detector at a wavelength of 260 nm. An example quantitation was performed against the Amino Acids Food and Feed Standard Kit with norvaline as internal standard. Dilution factors for different beverages were optimized to provide users with further guidance for amino acid analysis in common beverages.