Investigation of the binding properties of elements to fulvic acids found in fulvic acid supplements

GRANT, TYRE D.; WUILLOUD, RODOLFO G.; ALTAMIRANO, JORGELINA C.; CARUSO, JOSEPH A.

Simposio; 5th INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON SPECIATION OF ELEMENTS IN BIOLOGICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2004 WINTER CONFERENCE ON PLASMA SPECTROCHEMISTRY; 2003

University of Oviedo

Humic substances are comprised of three different components: humic acids, fulvic acids and humin. Humic acids are substances that are not soluble in water under acidic conditions (pH lower than 2) but are soluble at higher pH values. Humic acids are the major extractable component of soil humic substances. The extraction yields mixtures that are dark brown to black color. Humic acids are thought to be complex aromatic macromolecules with amino acids, amino sugars, peptides, aliphatic compounds involved in link-ages between the aromatic groups. The fractions of humic substances that are soluble in water under all pH conditions are known as fulvic acids. They remain in solution after removal of humic acid by acidification. Fulvic acid mixtures are light yellow to yellow-brown in color. The hyphothetical structure of fulvic acids contain both aromatic and aliphatic structures, extensively substituted with oxygen-containing functional groups.Fulvic acid supplement distributors believe that fulvic acids complex toxic heavy metals, and remove them from the body as waste, thereby aiding long term health. The aim of this work is to study the distribution and binding of elements found in fulvic acid supplements. This is accomplished using size-exclusion chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SEC-ICP-MS) and simultaneous ultraviolet detection (UV). The effect of different pH values on the fulvic acids will also be discussed, and finally speculation on the fat of the fulvic acids in the human digestion system will be addressed. Initial studies show that the fulvic acids are of a low molecular weight in the range of 210-280 Da. Peaks were also observed at the same retention time in the UV as well as the ICP-MS implicating that there is some association of the metals with the fulvic substances.