Accepted Manuscript

Determination of amino acids content in tea species using liquid

chromatography via pre-column fluorescence derivatization

Rana M. Kazan, Hassan A. Seddik, Zakaria M. Marstani,

Mohamed M. Elsutohy, Nael G. Yasri

PII: S0026-265X(19)31336-0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microc.2019.104103
Article Number: 104103
Reference: MICROC 104103
To appear in: Microchemical Journal
Received date: 31 May 2019
Revised date: 27 June 2019
Accepted date: 16 July 2019

Please cite this article as: R.M. Kazan, H.A. Seddik, Z.M. Marstani, et al., Determination
of amino acids content in tea species using liquid chromatography via pre-column
fluorescence derivatization, Microchemical Journal, https://doi.org/10.1016/
j.microc.2019.104103

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 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT

Determination of Amino Acids Content In Tea Species Using Liquid

Chromatography via Pre-column Fluorescence Derivatization

Rana M. Kazan 1, Hassan A. Seddik 1, Zakaria M. Marstani 1, Mohamed M. Elsutohy 2,3* and Nael

G. Yasri 1,3*

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Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Aleppo, Syria, 2 Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical

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Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alazhar University, Assiut, Egypt; 3 Schulich School of Engineering, University of

Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada

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Corresponding Authors: Dr Mohamed M. Elsutohy; mohamed.elsutohy@ucalgary.ca & Dr Nael G. Yasri;
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nael.yasri@ucalgary.ca
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Abstract

A sensitive method for the simultaneous detection of eight amino acids (AAs), glycine, alanine,

serine, glutamic acid, arginine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan, in different tea species

has been developed and validated. This method was based on separation and detection of AAs

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using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with a fluorescence detector that permits

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ultra-sensitive detection. Pre-column derivatization was performed to convert the non-

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fluorescent AAs into fluorescent species, using a specific reagent, o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) and

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3-mercaptopropionic (3MPA), in an optimized ratio of 3:1. A reversed-phase HPLC-column with

two gradient phases, acetate buffer (pH 7.6) containing 3% tetrahydrofuran and a mixture of
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acetate buffer (pH 7.6): acetonitrile: methanol (1:2:2,v/v/v), were used for the separation and
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detection of AAs over the linear ranges of 0.5 - 50 nmol/L. Further, the method was validated

according to the official guidelines and successfully applied to determine the AAs content in tea
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products (green, black, oolong, and white). Considerable variations were observed based on the
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tea quality and type. In summary, this study could be used for the on-line monitoring of the tea

production process to determine the grade quality, adulterations and detect the AAs intake.
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Keyword: Tea Analysis; HPLC, Amino Acids Derivatization; Fluorescence Detection

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1. Introduction

Amino acids (AAs) are essential nutrients that are required to maintain vital body functions

including protein synthesis, healthy growth, tissue repair and balanced metabolism 1-2. While the

human body can synthesize the non-essential AAs, nevertheless, essential AAs cannot be made

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by the body and must be received from an external source 3. Such essential AAs can be obtained

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from drinks, food or fruit nectars, which contain high amounts of free essential and non-essential

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AAs 4. Generally, during processing, free AAs undergo oxidation, thermal or enzymatic reactions

which determine the characteristic taste and flavor of each drink 5. For example, tea leaves

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(Camellia sinensis) have been found to contain more than 26 free AAs at different levels 6. These
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variations in the content of AAs can be exploited during the production of tea to differentiate the
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quality, the type, the grade and taste. Such controlled oxidation (fermentation) of polyphenols

and AAs are used to produce different types of tea. For instance, while both of green and white
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tea are not oxidized, oolong tea is semi-oxidized (semi-fermented) and black tea is fully oxidized
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7. Therefore, a quantitative determination of AAs content in tea species could be highly beneficial

to monitor the on-line fermentation (oxidation) process during production that determines the
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product quality and flavor. Moreover, the precise labeling of AAs content in the product helps
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consumers to adjust their AAs intake and identify their favorite taste 8.

In general, several methods have been reported for the determination of AAs in tea, including

spectroscopic methods 9-12, capillary electrophoresis 13, chromatographic methods 14-22 and

electrochemical methods 23-24. As an alternative, liquid chromatography (LC), with a fluorescence

detection, enabled the simultaneous determination of many compounds in complex matrices

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using a simple extraction process 25-26. This analytical approach exploits the extreme sensitivity

of fluorescence to determine ultra-low levels of analytes of interest combined with the ability of

LC for the efficient separation of such analytes and eliminating interferences 27. Nevertheless, the

difficulty for the detection of AAs using spectrophotometric or fluorescence detector is that the

lack of strong chromophores or fluorophores that can absorb or emit light. Therefore, the

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derivatization of AAs prior to analysis with certain reagents such as ninhydrin, dansyl chloride or

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o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) has been reported to convert them into spectrophotometric or

fluorescent active species 28-32.

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In this work, a sensitive method for the rapid quantitative detection of eight AAs, commonly
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found in tea species 6, 13, has been developed using the high performance liquid chromatography

(HPLC) with a fluorescence detector. Pre-column derivatization of such AAs, prior to analysis, was
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perfumed using a selective reagent (OPA), which is able to bind the amine group of AAs,
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converting such non-fluorescent AAs into highly fluorescent isoindoles 32. Further, the method
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was validated according to the official guidelines 33 and applied to analyze the AAs in eleven

commercially available tea products of black, oolong, green and white tea.
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2. Material and Method

2.1. Chemicals

A list of AAs studied in this work is presented in Table S1. (D)-L-alanine (Ala), L-arginine HCl (Arg),

L-glutamic acid (Glu), glycine (Gly), (D)-L-phenylalanine (Phe), (D)-L-tryptophan (Trp), L-serine

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(Ser), and D-tyrosine (Tyr), with high purity (≥ 98%), were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich (USA).

Methanol, tetrahydrofuran, and acetonitrile were of HPLC grade and all were purchased from

Merck company (Germany). Sodium acetate trihydrate, sodium borate, hydrochloric acid (HCl),

sodium hydroxide, and glacial acetic acid were of reagent grade and obtained from Scharlau

(Spain). Derivatization reagents of o-phtalaldehyde (OPA) (98%) and 3-mercaptopropionic acid

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(3MPA) (99%) were purchased from Alfa Aesar (Germany). All chemicals were used as received

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without further purification. Deionized water was used for the preparation of standard solutions,

buffers, dilutions, and eluent systems. All mobile phases and solutions were filtered prior to use

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through a 0.45 μm nylon filter (Whatman Brand).
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2.2. Preparation of standard solutions
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A stock solution of each amino acid (AA) was separately prepared in 0.1 M HCl, by dissolving an
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accurately weighed amount of each AA, with a final concentration of 1.0 × 10−3 mol/L. The

prepared solutions were stored frozen until further use. Further dilutions, of the stock solutions
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were made using 0.1 M HCl, to the appropriate calibration concentrations, followed by filtration
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through 0.45 μm filters.

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2.3. Pre-column derivatization procedure

The derivatization reagent was freshly prepared by mixing 15 mL of OPA (1.0 × 10−3 mol/L,

prepared in borate buffer pH 10) with 5 mL 3MPA (1.0 × 10−3 mol/L). A volume of 5 mL of this

derivatization reagent mixture was added to the standard AA solutions or the extract of each tea

sample, allowed to react for 5 min at ambient temperature, filtered through 0.45 μm filters. An

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aliquot (20 µL volume) was immediately injected through the HPLC system. The blank samples

were prepared without AAs were also treated in the same way.

2.4. HPLC analysis

HPLC system (Agilent Technology-Series 1200) equipped with a fluorescence detector and

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composed of a binary pump with a column temperature regulator was used. Chromatography

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Chemstation software (Agilent, German) was used for data processing. The HPLC peaks were

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generated upon the injection of 20 μL of each AAs after their pre-column derivatization and

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filtration as mentioned above. The fluorescence detection setup was set at an excitation

wavelength (λEx) of 340 nm with an emission wavelength (λEm) at 450 nm. The HPLC separations
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were performed at 30°C, using Agilent Zorbax Exclipe XDB-C18 column (5 μm, 250 mm × 4.6 mm
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i.d., Agilent Technologies, U.S.A.). A binary gradient mobile phase (eluent A & B) was used at a
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flow rate of 1.5 mL per minute. Eluent A was composed of 20 mM acetate buffer (pH 7.6)

containing 3.0% Tetrahydrofuran (v/v) and eluent B was a mixture of 100 mM acetate buffer:
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acetonitrile: methanol in the volumetric ratio of 1:2:2. The gradient elution timeline was
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programmed at different time intervals with overall record chromatogram time of 15 min.

Between analysis, the HPLC column was pre-equilibrated with isocratic elution mode of eluent A
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as a mobile phase.

2.5. Preparation of tea products for analysis

Eleven commercial tea samples purchased from the local market were investigated in this study.

These samples include five black teas from different origins i.e. one Silane origin (Sri Lanka) (Sam

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1), one Indian origin (Sam 2), and other three different Chinese grades (Sam 3 to 5). The other

tea types were of two green tea samples (Sam 6 & 7), two oolong teas (Sam 8 & 9), and two white

teas (Sam 10 & 11), each type is differed in the cultivating origins of Sri Lanka and China,

respectively. A constant 2.5 g of each individual tea sample was grounded into homogenous

powder using a grinder (Joyoung Co., Jinan, Shandong, China), and stored in the desiccators at

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room temperature before infusion. As previously reported for sample preparation, tea powder

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of 0.30 g was extracted by 20 mL distilled water at 80 °C for 20 min (staring well during the

incubation) and then cooled to room temperature 8, 11, 13-14, 16. Subsequently, the infusion was

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collected by centrifuging the solid matter at 12,000 rpm for 10 min, make the volume again up

to 20 mL with distilled water, and filtered through a 0.45 µm nylon filter membrane. Following
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this, 1 mL of the obtained filtrate (as the infused tea sample) was diluted with water to 10 mL
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and used for pre-column reaction with 5 mL derivatization reagents and proceed for HPLC
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measurement. Only in the case of Gly quantification and due to the low level of this AA in tea

infusion no dilution was made for the filtrate. The timeline for each individual step of the process
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preparation from tea powder infusion to the HPLC injection was set to 60 min as the total
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experiment time.
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3. Results and discussion

3.1. Pre-column derivatization

In this study, the major eight AAs, that have been reported to be found in tea species, were

selected for analysis 6, 13. These AAs are glycine (GLy), alanine (ALa), serine (Ser), glutamic Acid

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(Glu), arginine (Arg), tyrosine (Tyr), phenylalanine (Phe), and tryptophan (Trp) as in Table S1. Due

to the lack of fluorophore groups in such AAs, that required for the fluorescence detection,

derivatization of AAs with certain reagents has been reported to convert them into fluorescent

species and thus can be easily detected using a fluorescence detector 28-32. Amongst such

reagents is OPA that has been reported to react with AAs in alkaline medium, in the presence of

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other mercaptan compounds such as 3MPA. This procedure converts the non-fluorescent AAs

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into highly fluorescent species that exhibit a fluorescence signal at ~ 450 nm upon excitation at

340 nm 34. The reaction was relatively rapid as it occurs simultaneously within 5 minutes at the

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room temperature with high sensitivity 32, 34. However, to initiate the reaction with the secondary

amine groups and also to increase the product stability, a mercaptan compound, such as 3-
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mercaptopropionic (3MPA) are combined with OPA 32, 35-37. Figure S1 illustrates the reaction
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between OPA and an AA at pH 10 and in the presence of a mercaptan compound to increase the
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stability of the produced isoindole.

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The preliminary experiments showed that OPA:3MPA, in the molar ratio of 3:1 (OPA: 3MPA),

achieved the maximum fluorescence with high stability. Therefore, this optimized derivatization
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procedure was used throughout the present work to convert AAs into fluorescent species. In
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addition, the fluorescence of OPA, 3MPA or a mixture of both OPA:3MPA (3:1) was tested, using

HPLC with a fluorescence detector, and no fluorescence peak was observed for such solutions.

However, narrow and well-defined intense peaks were detected for the solutions of AAs that

were reacted with OPA:3MPA (3:1), using the optimized procedure, within 15 minutes of elution.

These results indicate that the successful pre-column derivatization of the non-fluorescent AAs

into fluorescent species that can be detected following their separation using the HPLC-

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fluorescence detector, as discussed below.

3.2. Optimization of chromatographic conditions

To optimize the chromatographic conditions that are required for optimum separation of each

AA from their mixture, different mobile phases with various compositions and ratios were tested.

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The results showed that the optimum chromatographic conditions were obtained using an

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isocratic system of eluent A (20 mM acetate buffer containing 3.0% Tetrahydrofuran (v/v), pH

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7.6) and eluent B (100 mM acetate buffer (pH 7.6): acetonitrile: methanol, with a ratio of 1:2:2

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v/v/v), flowed at different gradient elution timeline as in Table 1. In addition, the HPLC column

was pre-equilibrated between each analysis with isocratic elution mode of eluent A to remove
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any remaining chemicals between each analysis. Such elution system and conditions produced a
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well-separated chromatogram for the eight AAs, with no peak overlapping as the column
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resolution factors (Rs) were > 1.6 and within a relatively short time, less than 15 minutes (Figure

1). These results indicate the potential suitability of this developed method for the rapid and
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simultaneous detection of the investigated AAs. The retention time values for the analysis of the
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studies AAs are listed in Table S2.

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Table 1

Figure 1

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3.3. Method validation

The proposed procedure for the analysis of such AAs was validated for application in quality

control laboratories using the official guidelines of the International Conference on

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Harmonization (ICH) 33, in terms of linear range, the limit of detection (LOD), the limit of

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quantitation (LOQ), accuracy, precision and robustness.

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3.3.1. Linear range, LOD and LOQ
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Under the optimal chromatographic conditions, the calibration curve of each studied AA was
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constructed, using different concentrations of the corresponding standard solutions, using the

mean of the chromatographic peak areas (n=5) versus the corresponding concentration (Figure
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2 A & B). The results revealed that linear relationships (with a regression coefficient of 0.9994-
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0.9999) were obtained for each standard AA over the concentrations listed in Table 2.
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Figure 2
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Table 2

Additionally, the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) were calculated using

the formula: LOD = 3 σ / S, LOQ = 10 σ / S, where σ is the standard deviation of intercept and S is

the slope of the calibration curve 38-39. As shown in Table 2, the calculated LOD and LOQ ranged

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from 0.32 to 5.59 nmol/L while the LOQ values ranged from 0.97 to 16.94 nmol/L (n=5), which

indicates the high sensitivity of the proposed method for the detection of the studied AAs. In

comparison to previous studies reported for the chromatographic detection of AAs in tea using

fluorescence detection 13, 18, the method developed in this study exhibits many advantages in

terms of employing a simple analytical procedure, short time of analysis and the higher

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sensitivity. Table 3 compares the LOD values for the chromatographic, fluorescence detection of

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AAs in tea products using our method and previously reported methods.

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Table 3
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3.3.2. Precision, accuracy and robustness
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The precision and accuracy of the studied method were determined using three measurements

for each AAs, at different concentration levels, within the linear ranges. The results were
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represented as the percentage of recovery ± relative standard deviation (RSD), Table S3. The
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obtained results revealed a satisfactory precision as the RSD values did not exceed 3% of the

percentage of recovery. In addition, the agreement within the measurements for each
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concentration and closeness to the mean indicate the good accuracy of this method.

The robustness of the method was estimated by investigating the influence of a small change in

the mobile phase composition on the analytical performance of the method. Such little change

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did not significantly affect the results (the percentage of recovery) and indicates an acceptable

performance of this method for application in different laboratories.

3.4. Application of the proposed method to detect AAs in tea products

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The method developed in this study was extended to detect the investigated AAs in eleven

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different tea products of black, green, oolong and white tea. Such tea products were black (Sam

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1), oolong (Sam 6), green (Sam 8) and white (Sam 10). The preliminary study was performed by

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adding an internal standard of a mixture containing 5 nmol/L of each AA and detecting the

chromatographic peaks. Figure 3 shows a chromatogram obtained from black tea extract with
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and without the addition of AAs internal standard. The resulting chromatogram showed a
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combined peak for each AA (spiked and extracted from the tea product) at the same specified
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retention time of the respective standard AA (mentioned in Table S2).

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Figure 3
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The study was further applied to detect the AA content in each tea product by spiking 0.5, 1.0
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and 5.0 nmol/L of each infused sample and following the described procedure of pre-column

derivatization with (OPA:3MPA, 3:1) and chromatographic separation. The amount of each AA in

the investigated tea product was determined as illustrated in Table 4. These results indicate that

the level of glutamic acid was the highest in all tea products analyzed as compared with the other

AAs. Additionally, for green tea, the levels of glutamic acid and tryptophan were the highest

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amongst all other AAs while the glycine was the lowest detected AA in such tea products. Black

tea products showed a relatively similar AA amount to that of green tea, while different grades

of quality showed a considerably different level of all AAs. In contrast, the oolong tea shows

higher levels in Gly even though this AA shows relatively very low content in all of the other types

of tea studied. In addition, the levels of serine, alanine, and tyrosine were markedly higher in

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white tea, compared to all other green or black tea which could indicate the absence of

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fermentation (oxidation) in white tea. These results reveal that the free AAs content in tea is

highly dependent on the tea type, grade, and quality.

Table 4US
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4. Conclusions
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In this study, a rapid analytical method for the determination of AAs content in different tea

products has been developed and validated for the application in quality control laboratories.
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The method exploits the selective chemical reaction between the non-fluorescent AAs with o-
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phthaldialdehyde (OPA) and 3-mercaptopropionic (3MPA) to convert them into fluorescent

compounds (isoindoles). This derivatization method was optimized and the fluorescent
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isoindoles exhibited fluorescence signal at 450 nm. High performance liquid chromatography

(HPLC) was used to isolate each AA from the mixture using two mobile phase gradient systems

during a relatively short retention time of 15 minutes. The overall method was highly sensitive to

detect the eight studied AAs with a limit of detection as low as 0.32 nmol/L. The results showed

marked variations in the AA content based on the tea product, grade, quality and type. Such

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results indicated that glutamic acid and serine are the most abundant AAs in all tea types expect

white tea which contains relatively low levels of serine, alanine, and tyrosine. In summary, this

method is beneficial for the tea-producers to monitor the process of on-line production to control

the type and quality of the final product. In addition, this method helps consumers to select their

favorite tea taste and monitor the AA intake of each product.

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5. Conflict of interests

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The authors confirm that there is no conflict of interests. This research did not receive any

specific grant from any funding organizations.

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histamine and Nτ-methylhistamine by high-performance liquid chromatography–amperometry with o-
phthalaldehyde–sodium sulfite derivatization. Analytical Biochemistry 2013, 432 (1), 1-7.
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https://www.ich.org/fileadmin/Public_Web_Site/ICH_Products/Guidelines/Quality/Q2_R1/Step4/Q2_R1
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column-based reversed-phase liquid chromatography separation for amino acid assay in microdialysates
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Biochem Rev 2008, 29 Suppl 1, S49-52.

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List of Tables

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Table 1: The optimum gradient elution program for the HPLC separation of the investigated AAs

Time (min) Eluent A %

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0 100 0

1 94 6
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8 76 24
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12 0 100

15 100 0
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Table 2: The statistical parameters for analysis of the selected AAs using the proposed method

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(n=5 determinations).

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Amino acid Linear Range* Regression coefficient LOD* LOQ*

(R)

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Glu 0.5 – 30 0.9998 0.93 3.31

Ser 0.5 – 25 0.9999 1.69 5.14

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Gly 1 – 25 0.9996 2.10 6.36
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Ala 0.5 – 50 0.9997 1.21 3.68

Arg 1 – 20 0.9996 5.59 16.94

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Tyr 1 – 45 0.9998 3.46 10.51

Trp 0.25 – 30 0.9998 0.32 0.97

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Phe 1 – 50 0.9994 3.49 11.65

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* Units are in nmol/L

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Table 3: A comparison between the sensitivity of the proposed method and previous

chromatographic methods with fluorescence detection13, 18 for the analysis of AAs in tea.

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Method Glu Ser Gly Ala Arg Tyr Trp Phe

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Dong, S., et. al. (µmol/L) 0.49 0.40 0.46 0.14 0.35 0.18 NA 0.09

Hsieh, M., et. al. (nmol/L) 3.6 18.2 5.7 6.7 22.1 NA 28.3 4.5
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The proposed method (nmol/L) 0.93 1.69 2.10 1.21 5.59 3.46 0.32 3.49
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Table 4: Analysis of AAs content in tea products (black, green, and white)* using the proposed

method. The results are expressed as the mean (n=5) of AA content (µg/g) in each product  SD.

AA Sam 1 Sam 2 Sam 3 Sam 4 Sam 5 Sam 6 Sam 7 Sam 8 Sam 9 Sam 10 Sam 11

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Glu 2120±26.29 2060±25.50 1940±23.83 176±17.85 1320±16.57 2490±29.63 2370±29.33 1870±23.35 1790±21.97 2170±26.88 2210±27.37

Ser 1110±28.24 1230±30.96 1140±29.22 940±24.23 660±16.67 710±17.73 840±21.09 560±14.72 590±15.34 1730±38.54 1680±37.90

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Gly 51±1.40 44±1.23 43±1.21 37±1.04 29±0.82 24± (0.69 18±0.54 64±1.73 67±1.80 35±7.32 28±0.80

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Ala 280±6.06 330±6.94 300±6.30 190±4.45 120±2.85 330±6.94 410±8.26 200±5.8 280±6.06 1050±16.74 1180±18.53

Arg 610±16.15 670±17.65 590±15.79 550±14.88 390±10.68 490±13.35 400±10.81 530±14.30 510±13.83 360±9.99 400±10.90
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Tyr 320±5.67 310±5.55 370±6.53 310±5.58 260±4.72 240±4.34 290±5.19 390±6.89 320±5.68 450±7.86 400±7.01

Trp 29±3.68 300±3.64 310±3.81 250±3.12 190±2.46 440±5.31 410±4.90 320±3.95 370±4.49 260±3.27 190±2.46
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Phe 860±19.38 840±18.94 800±18.07 720±16.40 570±13.12 400±9.48 460±10.89 520±12.34 540±12.89 740±16.74 710±16.40
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* Black tea: Sam 1 (bags, Silane; Sri Lanka), Sam 2 (bags, Indian), Sam 3 (grade A; China), Sam 4 (grade B; China), Sam 5 (grade C;
China). Green tea: Sam 6 (Silane; Sri Lanka), and Sam 7 (bags; China). Oolong (red) tea: Sam 8 (bags, Silane; Sri Lanka), and Sam
9 (bags, China). White tea: Sam 10 (bags, Silane; Sri Lanka), and Sam 11 (bags, China).
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List of Figures

Figure Caption

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Figure 1: The resulted chromatogram for am mixture of standard amino acids (10 nmol/L of each

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AA), after pre-column derivatizations with OPA: 3MPA, using the specified chromatographic

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Figure 2: (A & B) Calibration curves for the analysis of the investigated amino acids using the
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proposed method.
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Figure 3: (A) A chromatogram of amino acids, without the addition of internal standard, extracted

from black tea (Sam 1) and derivatized with OPA and 3MPA using the optimum procedure. (B) A
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chromatogram for the total amino acids, extracted from black tea (Sam 1) and the spiked intenral
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standard AA(5.0 nmol/L).

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Highlights:

 Analysis of amino acids content in tea to determine product quality, type and origin.

 Highly sensitive, HPLC detection of amino acids.

 Amino acid content in commercially available tea product were determined.

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Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3