High-Speed Analysis of Organic Acids Using Shim-pack Fast-OA and pH-Buffered Electrical Conductivity Detection

Organic acids are analyzed in a wide variety of fields, not only in food products, but also as counterions in pharmaceuticals, and ingredients in chemical products. Because post-column pH-buffered electrical conductivity detection is capable of analyzing organic acids selectively and with high sensitivity, this method is used to analyze organic acids in samples that contain many contaminants. However, shortening the analysis time when monitoring fermentation or analyzing intestinal flora has been problematic. Additionally, in research on the generation of alternative energies from biomass materials, the quantities of organic acids generated as metabolic products must be analyzed quickly in order to flexibly control the activity of microorganisms.
This report describes techniques for achieving the high-speed analysis of organic acids with high selectivity, using the Shimadzu Shim-pack Fast-OA high-speed organic acid analytical column, in combination with the post-column pH-buffered electrical conductivity detection method.