A Direct and Sensitive Analysis Method for Biogenic Amines in Dairy Products by Capillary Electrophoresis Coupled with Contactless Conductivity Detection

A capillary electrophoresis method coupled to contactless conductivity detection was developed for the quantitative determination of biogenic amines. Complete resolution of five biogenic amines, which are mostly found in dairy products, were performed in less than 6 min. Separation electrolyte composition was selected as 500 mM α-hydroxyisobutyric acid (HIBA) at pH 2.05. The detection limits of the method for biogenic amines were found between 0.041 and 0.098 mg/L. The precisions for the corrected peak areas were calculated as between 2.35 and 4.25% RSD. The applicability of the method was demonstrated by analyzing biogenic amines in the cheese, yoghurt, and kefir samples. The method does not require any pre-concentration and derivatization steps and can be applied as a simple, rapid, and precise method for the direct determination of biogenic amines in food samples.