Optimization and Validation of a GC–FID Method for Quantitative Determination of 1,3-Propanediol in Bacterial Culture Aqueous Supernatants Containing Glycerol

Abstract

Abstract: 1,3-Propanediol (1,3-PDO) is an important chemical widely used in polymer production. This compound has been traditionally obtained by chemical synthesis, but it can also be obtained from bacterial fermentation using glycerol as renewable carbon source. Since 1,3-PDO and glycerol have a similar chromatographic behavior, it is not easy to determine both compounds efficiently in short runs. In this work, we optimized a rapid and simple capillary GC–FID method for the determination of 1,3-PDO and glycerol directly in bacterial culture supernatants. Good peak shapes and high resolution were obtained with no significant tailing. The method was validated in terms of specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection, limit of quantitation, robustness and stability according to USP and ICH guidelines. The method can be applied for the determination of 1,3-PDO and glycerol in different media in less than 5 min with high precision, reproducibility and selectivity. No time-consuming extraction or concentration steps and no significant matrix effects make this method outstanding for glycols determination. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].