Automated analytical standard production with supercritical fluid chromatography for the quantification of bioactive C17-polyacetylenes: a case study on food processing waste.

Food processing enterprises produce enormous amounts of organic waste that contains valuable phytochemicals (e.g. C17-polyacetylenes). Knowledge on the phytochemicals content is a first step towards valorisation. Quantification of C17-polyacetylenes is however often hampered by the lack of commercially available standards or by tedious multistep in-house standard production procedures. In the current study, a new and straightforward supercritical fluid chromatography purification procedure is described for the simultaneous production of 2 analytical C17-polyacetylene standards. Respectively, 5 and 6 mg of falcarinol and falcarindiol were purified in 17 h on analytical scale. After confirming the identity and quality (97% purity) by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, accurate mass-Mass Spectrometry (am-MS) and Photo Diode Array (PDA) detection the C17-polyacetylene standards were used for the analysis of industrial vegetable waste with Liquid Chromatography coupled to PDA and am-MS detection. Measurements showed varying concentrations of C17-polyacetylenes in the organic waste depending on its nature and origin.