A sensitive dispersive micro solid-phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography for determination of three flavonoids in complex matrics by using crab shell as a sorbent.

A sensitive dispersive micro solid-phase extraction coupled with HPLC has been developed for preconcentration and determination of three flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin) in complex matrix samples. Parameters that affect extraction efficiency have been optimized. The optimal extraction conditions are using 2 μg/mL of crab shell as the sorbent, extraction for 2 min at pH 7, and then eluting with 100 μL of methanol. As a result, the method shows good linearity (R > 0.9994), low LODs (even 0.08 ng/ml) and satisfactory recovery in real honey and rat urine samples. As an eco-friendly biomaterial, crab shell powder is used as sorbent in pretreatment of flavonoids, and its adsorption mechanism has been investigated for the first time. Compared with the other reported methods, the proposed strategy is time-saving, eco-friendly, and highly sensitive using HPLC (even achieving MS grade sensitivity).