Comparison of extraction methods for the determination of soluble and total oxalate in foods by HPLC-enzyme-reactor

Food oxalate analysis in foods is problematic due to the wide range of interfering substances. To prevent oxalate generation during sample preparation mild and rapid extraction methods were evaluated. Soluble oxalate was extracted with distilled water and total oxalate was extracted with 2 N hydrochloric acid. Filtrates were analysed using the HPLC enzyme reactor method. Evaluation yielded a high level of precision and recovery. Glyoxylic acid, D/L malic acid, isocitric acid, oxaloacetic acid, pyruvate, mesoxalic acid, ascorbic acid, D(+) glucose, D(-) fructose, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid could be excluded as a source of oxalate generation during extraction with hot acids. The soluble and total oxalate content of about 150 food samples were investigated. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.