Author
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Holser, Ronald |
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Submitted to: Feed Information for News on the Web
Publication Type: Trade Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 2/4/2014 Publication Date: 2/5/2014 Citation: Holser, R.A. 2014. Analysis of phenolic compounds for poultry feeds. Feed Information for News on the Web. February 2014. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Phenolic compounds have generated significant interest recently as feed additives that can impart bioactive characteristics such as anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal properties to a feed formulation [1-2]. Such natural compounds may offer some preventive benefit to the routine administration of antibiotics particularly as the prevalence of resistant bacteria increases [3-4]. Phenolic compounds commonly occur in plants as secondary metabolites and may be recovered from biomass as a co-product during biofuels production. Not surprisingly, the removal of these compounds increases conversion of biomass to ethanol in the fermentation process. This provides a sustainable source of phenolics and increases profits for bioethanol production. As the market for phenolic compounds grows it will create the need for rapid methods of detection and quantitation. Current analytical techniques include high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with detection of the phenolic compounds by absorbance in the ultraviolet (UV) region. This method is suitable for the analysis of plant extracts and often requires the use of aqueous and organic solvent systems, e. g., methanol or acetonitrile. Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) is an alternative chromatographic technique that uses compressed carbon dioxide in place of organic solvents. This has proven useful for the analysis of many classes of compounds including phenolics. However, both of these techniques require significant investment in equipment, highly trained operators, and are designed primarily for the analysis of liquid samples. The development of a spectroscopic method to measure the phenolic content of a solid substrate is needed that could replace chromatographic analysis. UV spectroscopy is the basis for the detection of phenolic compounds in the established chromatographic methods and is very sensitive. The chemical structure of phenolic compounds, specifically the aromatic ring, produces strong absorbance in the ultraviolet (UV) region associated with electronic transitions of the molecule. The instrumentation needed to measure UV spectra is relatively inexpensive, widely available, and applicable to solid samples by using an accessory such as the integrating sphere. The choice of UV spectroscopy is based on the characteristic absorbance displayed in this region of the spectrum. However, infrared spectroscopy is also commonly used throughout industry and capable of performing measurements on solid samples [5]. |
