Determination of serotonin released from coffee wax by liquid chromatography

A simple hydrolysis and extraction method was developed for the release of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) from a coffee wax sample obtained from decaffeination of coffee beans. The recoverable amount of serotonin was determined by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with gradient elution and UV detection, using the standard addition method. Different type of basic deactivated chromatographic columns were used for the separation.