Capillary electrophoretic resolution of the enantiomers of 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone, the key flavor compounds in strawberry fruit

A simple capillary electrophoretic method with UV detection has been developed for resolution of the enantiomers of 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone,the key flavor compounds in strawberry fruit. The separation was performed in fused-silica capillaries (30/40.2 cm long x 50 mum i.d.) with running buffer consisting of 50 mm ammonium acetate, pH 4.0, containing 20 mM heptakis-(2,3-O-diacetyl-6-O-sulfato)-beta-cyclodextrin (HDAS-beta CD). The applied potential was 10 kV, the temperature 25degreesC, and detection was at 280 nm. The method was used to determine the enantiomer ratio of 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone (DMHF) isolated from strawberry fruits and from the yeast Zygosoccharomyces rouxii. The formation of enantiomerically enriched (+)-DMHF by Z rouxii was demonstrated for the first time.