EXTRACTION AND DETERMINATION OF GLYCINEBETAINE IN LIQUID FERTILIZERS

Betaines and other quaternary ammonium compounds play an important rol e in the physiological response of plants to stress, especially during drought and salinity conditions. The analysis of glycinebetaine in pl ant tissues and fertilizer samples is usually carried out by methods w hich have poor selectivity or involve complex sample preparations. In this paper, we describe a fast and easy HPLC method for the selective and accurate determination of glycinebetaine in a complex mixture, suc h as a liquid fertilizer formulation, using UV detection at 195 nm and a cationic-exchange column. Sample treatment is reduced to acidificat ion and charcoal purification, followed by filtration and direct chrom atographic injection.