Chiral resolution of isoxanthohumol (IX) in beer samples was performed by hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography. The optimum running conditions were found to be 20 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) containing 45 mM hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin and 100 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate with an effective voltage of +20 kV at 20 °C using direct detection at 210, 295, and 370 nm. IX was detected in 12 beer samples and the total levels of (+)- and (−)-IX ranged from 0.15 to 1.4 mg/L. But the amount of xanthohumol (XN) was below the detection limit (0.017 mg/L). Each level of (−)-IX was almost the same as that of (+)-IX, suggesting that IX was a racemic mixture in these beer samples. The racemization of IX in beer could be attributed to the production of a racemic mixture from XN during boiling and to the fact that IX enantiomers were easily interconverted.

Keywords: Enantioseparation; isoxanthohumol; xanthohumol; beer; micellar electrokinetic chromatography