Simultaneous determination of water-soluble vitamins in SRM 1849 Infant/Adult Nutritional Formula powder by liquid chromatography–isotope dilution mass spectrometry

Assessing dietary intake of vitamins from all sources, including foods, dietary supplements, and fortified foods, would be aided considerably by having analytical methodologies that are capable of simultaneous determination of several vitamins. Vitamins naturally present in foods may occur in different chemical forms, with levels ranging over several orders of magnitude. Vitamins in dietary supplements and fortified foods, however, are typically added in a single chemical form, and matrix issues are usually not as complex. These sources should thus be relatively amenable to approaches that aim for simultaneous determination of multiple vitamins. Our recent work has focused on development of liquid chromatography (LC)–UV/fluorescence and LC–tandem mass spectrometry methods for the simultaneous determination of water-soluble vitamins (thiamine, niacin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, folic acid, biotin, and riboflavin) in dietary supplement tablets and fortified foods, such as formula powders and breakfast cereals. As part of the validation of our methods and collaboration in characterization of a new NIST SRM 1849 Infant/Adult Nutritional Formula powder, we report data on SRM 1849 using isotope dilution mass spectrometric methods. Use of available NIST Standard Reference Materials® as test matrices in our method development and validation gives a benchmark for future application of these methods. We compare three chromatographic approaches and provide data on stability of vitamin standard solutions for LC-based multiple vitamin determinations.

Spectrofluorometric Determination of Thiamin and Riboflavin in Vegetable Foods

Abstract

Modifications of the AOAC thiamin and riboflavin methods allow effective and simple determination of both vitamins from aliquots of the digested sample of vegetable foods. Study of the minimum amount required for a complete hydrolysis of the vitamers corresponding to each vitamin have been carried out. A critical study of thiocrome formation which was later used in the spectrofluorimetric determination of thiamin was done. In order to separate riboflavin from the digested sample, a new liquid chromatographic method based on adsorption in florisil is proposed. The aforementionated methods were applied to different samples of several vegetable foods.     

Determination of Vitamin B3 Vitamer (Nicotinamide) and Vitamin B6 Vitamers in Human Hair Using LC-MS/MS

Water-soluble B vitamins participate in numerous crucial metabolic reactions and are critical for maintaining our health. Vitamin B deficiencies cause many different types of diseases, such as dementia, anaemia, cardiovascular disease, neural tube defects, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, and HIV. Vitamin B3 deficiency is linked to pellagra and cancer, while niacin (or nicotinic acid) lowers low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides in the blood and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL). A highly sensitive and robust liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectroscopy (LC/MS-MS) method was developed to detect and quantify a vitamin B3 vitamer (nicotinamide) and vitamin B6 vitamers (pyridoxial 5′-phosphate (PLP), pyridoxal hydrochloride (PL), pyridoxamine dihydrochloride (PM), pridoxamine-5′-phosphate (PMP), and pyridoxine hydrochloride (PN)) in human hair samples of the UAE population. Forty students’ volunteers took part in the study and donated their hair samples. The analytes were extracted and then separated using a reversed-phase Poroshell EC-C18 column, eluted using two mobile phases, and quantified using LC/MS-MS system. The method was validated in human hair using parameters such as linearity, intra- and inter-day accuracy, and precision and recovery. The method was then used to detect vitamin B3 and B6 vitamers in the human hair samples. Of all the vitamin B3 and B6 vitamers tested, only nicotinamide was detected and quantified in human hair. Of the 40 samples analysed, 12 were in the range 100–200 pg/mg, 15 in the range 200–500 pg/mg, 9 in the range of 500–4000 pg/mg. The LC/MS-MS method is effective, sensitive, and robust for the detection of vitamin B3 and its vitamer nicotinamide in human hair samples. This developed hair test can be used in clinical examination to complement blood and urine tests for the long-term deficiency, detection, and quantification of nicotinamide.     

Comparison of different extraction methods for simultaneous determination of B complex vitamins in nutritional yeast using LC/MS-TOF and stable isotope dilution assay

The application of LC/MS-TOF method combined with stable isotope dilution assay was studied for determination of thiamine, riboflavin, nicotinamide, nicotinic acid, pantothenic acid, pyridoxal, and pyridoxine in food. Nutritional yeast powder was used as a model food matrix. Acid extraction was compared with various enzymatic treatments in ammonium formate buffer to find a suitable method for the conversion of more complex vitamers into the same forms as the used isotope-labeled internal standards. The enzyme preparations α-amylase, takadiastase, β-glucosidase, and acid phosphatase were all able to liberate thiamine and riboflavin. The diastatic enzyme preparations α-amylase and takadiastase also expressed proteolytic side activities resulting in the formation of small peptides which interfered with the mass spectra of thiamine and riboflavin. Liberation of nicotinamide and pantothenic acid from NAD⁺ and CoA, respectively, could not be achieved with any of the studied enzyme preparations. Hydrochloric acid extraction at 121 °C for 30 min was found to be destructive to pantothenic acid, but increased the liberation of pyridoxal.

Liquid chromatographic analysis of vitamin B6 in soy-based infant formula

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method is described for determination of total vitamin B6 in soy-based infant formula. Total vitamin B6 is quantitated by using ion-pair LC after precolumn transformation of phosphorylated and free vitamers into pyridoxol. The limit of detection is 0.3 ng and the limit of quantitation is 1.0 ng on-column (injection volume = 100 microL). Linear response ranged from 39 to 616 ng/mL (r2 = 0.99986). Analysis of a soy-based infant formula control fortified at 6 different concentration levels gave recoveries that averaged 104%. Assay of SRM 1846 gave results within the certified range (8.6 +/- 0.086 mg/kg versus the certified value of 8.4 +/- 1.0 mg/kg). The method provides a rapid and specific assay for the analysis of total vitamin B6 in fortified soy-based infant formula.     

LC Simultaneous Determination of the Free Forms of B Group Vitamins and Vitamin C in Various Fortified Food Products

An LC–UV screening method for simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid (C), and the free forms of thiamine (B₁) riboflavin (B₂), niacin (B₃), pyridoxine (B₆) in enriched food products was developed and validated. The chromatographic separation was accomplished within 18 min using a gradient of water with 0.1% formic acid (pH 2.5) and methanol with 0.1% formic acid on a C₁₈ reverse phase column (5 μm, 150 × 3.2 mm) while detection was performed at two wavelengths (266 and 290 nm). Sample preparation was based on an extraction method originally developed for vitamin C. This procedure besides extracting vitamin C was extended to the extraction of the free forms of vitamins B₁, B_2, B_3, B₆ and B₉. The developed analytical method was successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of the vitamin C content along with the free vitamin B forms of three different enriched food products.     

LC Simultaneous Determination of the Free Forms of B Group Vitamins and Vitamin C in Various Fortified Food Products

An LC–UV screening method for simultaneous determination of ascorbic acid (C), and the free forms of thiamine (B₁) riboflavin (B₂), niacin (B₃), pyridoxine (B₆) in enriched food products was developed and validated. The chromatographic separation was accomplished within 18 min using a gradient of water with 0.1% formic acid (pH 2.5) and methanol with 0.1% formic acid on a C₁₈ reverse phase column (5 μm, 150 × 3.2 mm) while detection was performed at two wavelengths (266 and 290 nm). Sample preparation was based on an extraction method originally developed for vitamin C. This procedure besides extracting vitamin C was extended to the extraction of the free forms of vitamins B₁, B_2, B_3, B₆ and B₉. The developed analytical method was successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of the vitamin C content along with the free vitamin B forms of three different enriched food products.

     

Simultaneous determination of four water-soluble vitamins in fortified infant foods by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

A novel ultra-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of four water-soluble vitamins, including vitamin B5 (VB5), vitamin B8 (VB8), vitamin B9 (VB9), and vitamin B12 (VB12) in fortified infant foods is developed and validated. A reverse phase UPLC separation system consisting of a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C-18 column (2.1 mm x 100 mm i.d., 1.7 microm) and a binary gradient acetonitrile-water mobile phase is applied for the separation of the four water-soluble vitamins. Formic acid is spiked into the mobile phase to enhance the ionization efficiency. Tandem MS-MS analysis is performed in multi-reaction monitoring mode (MRM). Product-ion traces at m/z 220.1 --> 89.9 for VB5, 245.1 --> 227.1 for VB8, 442.3 --> 295.2 for VB9, and 678.9 --> 147.0 for VB12 are used for quantitation of the corresponding vitamins, and traces at m/z 455.5 --> 308.0 are used for methotrexate (internal standard). Limits of quantitation (LOQs) are 0.016, 0.090, 0.020, and 0.019 microg/L for VB5, VB8, VB9, and VB12, respectively. Intra- and inter-day precisions for the determination of the four vitamins are better than 6.84% and 12.26% in relative standard deviations, and recoveries for the four vitamins are in the range of 86.0~101.5%. The developed approach is applied for the determination of the trace amounts of the vitamins in fortified milk powers and fortified rice powers.     

Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) in fortified foods: comparison of a novel ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method and a microbiological assay (AOAC Official Method 992.07)

A novel method was developed and single-laboratory validated for the determination of free pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) in a wide range of infant and adult fortified food products. The method combines simple sample preparation and chromatographic analysis using ultra-performance LC coupled to tandem MS with positive electrospray ionization. Pantothenic acid was quantified using [13C6, 15N2]-pantothenic acid as an internal standard. Calibration curves were linear between 0.08 and 1.2 microg/mL (r2 = 0.9998), and average recovery varied between 95 and 106%. The method exhibited overall RSD(r) of 1.1% and RSD intermediate reproducibility from 2.5 to 6.0% in infant formulas and cereals. Comparison of results between total and free pantothenic acid showed that the analysis of free pantothenic acid gave a good estimation of total pantothenic acid in the range of products analyzed. The method provides reliable free pantothenic acid results in a wide range of fortified foods (infant and adult nutritionals, cereal products and beverages), and shows good correlation with the microbiological method AOAC Official Method 992.07. It is a more selective, faster, and robust alternative to microbiological determination.     

Determination of water-soluble vitamin B and vitamin C in combined feed,premixes, and biologically active supplements by reversed-phase HPLC

A procedure was developed for determining water-soluble vitamins B and vitamin C in premixes, biologically active supplements, and combined feed by reversed-phase HPLC using sodium heptanesulfonate as an ion-pair reagent. A procedure was proposed for purifying a combined food extract by solid-phase extraction on a column packed with a Sep-Pak C18 adsorbent. The stability of ascorbic acid and riboflavin in aqueous solutions with different pH values was studied.     

Contents of selected B vitamins in NIST SRM 3280 multivitamin/multielement tablets by liquid chromatography isotope dilution mass spectrometry

There is increased interest in accurately assessing the total dietary intake of vitamins from all sources, including foods and dietary supplements. Consequently, a Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database (DSID), based upon analytical values, is being established by USDA with support of the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), NIH. The DSID necessitated the development of a new SRM, 3280 — Multivitamin/Multimineral Tablets, by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), with support from the ODS. As a continuation of a long-term project to develop and validate new methods of determining water-soluble B vitamins in foods and dietary supplements, and as part of a collaborative effort with NIST to characterize SRM 3280, values for the vitamin contents of SRM 3280 have been generated by a liquid chromatographic isotope dilution mass spectrometric (LC/IDMS) method. Isotope-labeled (¹³C and/or ²H) B vitamins (B1-thiamine, B6-pyridoxine, B3-nicotinamide, and B5-pantothenic acid) were obtained from commercial sources, with the support of the ODS/NIH. Our LC/IDMS method uses a C18 reversed phase column, an Agilent 1100 HPLC system, and a Quattro Micro triple-quad mass spectrometer (MS). B vitamin determination was achieved using a gradient LC profile combined with MS/MS detection in multiple reaction monitoring mode. Stock solutions of the isotope-labeled vitamins were calibrated against USP standard solutions. The SRM tablets, with added amounts of the four isotope-labeled B vitamins, were extracted and the vitamins simultaneously determined in a single LC run, in contrast with the single-component determinations performed via IDMS. Unknown vitamin concentrations were calculated by comparing the ratios of the integrated LC peaks at the different masses of the unlabeled and labeled vitamins.     

Determination of water-soluble vitamins by liquid chromatography with a parallel dual-electrode electrochemical detector

A method for the determination of water-soluble vitamins (ascorbic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride, pyridoxal hydrochloride, pyridoxamine dihydrochloride, p-aminobenzoic acid, folic acid) by liquid chromatography, with a parallel dual-electrode electrochemical detector, is described. One electrode was controlled at +0.80 V (vs. SCE), the other at +1.20 V (vs. SCE). The possibility of interference by eight other water-soluble vitamins (riboflavin, nicotinamide, cyanocobalamin, menadione, dextro calcium pantothenate, thiamine, nicotinic acid, dextro biotin) was studied. These vitamins did not interfere when a parallel dual-electrode detector system was used. The estimation of five of the vitamins was studied in detail. The linear ranges found were 10 ng-1.2 mug for pyridoxine hydrochloride, 2 ng-2mug for pyridoxal hydrochloride, 10 ng-3 mug for pyridoxamine dihydrochloride, 5-200 ng for folic acid and 0.6-200 ng for p-aminobenzoic acid, the limits of detection being 3, 0.6, 1, 2 and 0.06 ng respectively. Application of the technique to the estimation of vitamin B(6) in tablets is illustrated. The results indicate that the vitamin B(6) in these tablets existed in the pyridoxine hydrochloride form and the B(6) content agreed well with liquid chromatograph by spectrophotometric analysis.     

RP-HPLC determination of water-soluble vitamins in honey

The assessment and validation of reliable analytical methods for the determination of vitamins in sugar-based matrices (e.g. honey) are still scarcely explored fields of research. This study proposes and fully validates a simple and fast RP-HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of five water-soluble vitamins (vitamin B₂, riboflavin; vitamin B₃, nicotinic acid; vitamin B₅, pantothenic acid; vitamin B₉, folic acid; and vitamin C, ascorbic acid) in honey. The method provides low detection and quantification limits, very good linearity in a large concentration interval, very good precision, and the absence of any bias. It has been successfully applied to 28 honey samples (mainly from Sardinia, Italy) of 12 different botanical origins. While the overall amount of the analytes in the samples is quite low (always below 40 mg kg⁻¹), we have observed a marked dependence of some of their concentrations (i.e. vitamin B₃ and vitamin B₅) and the botanical origin of the honey. This insight might lead to important characterization features for this food item.     

Determination of vitamin B5 in a range of fortified food products by reversed-phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry with electrospray ionisation

Methods for Vitamin B5 determination in food products remain limited by their low sensitivity and poor selectivity. Here, we have developed a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method for Vitamin B5 determination in wide range of fortified food products. Vitamin B5 was extracted from food samples by heat treatment and analysed by LC-MS in the positive mode using electrospray ionisation (ESI). Vitamin B5 was quantified using hopantenic acid (HOPA) as internal standard after their separation on a C18 narrow-bore column with a gradient of mobile phase made of water/acetonitrile and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) 0.025%. MS with single ion monitoring mode at mass m/z 220 was used for Vitamin B5 quantification. Calibration curve between 0.5 and 10 microg/ml of Vitamin B5 was linear (r2=0.9993) and the detection limit was determined to be 800 pg. The overall quantitative efficiency of the method was evaluated using Nestle reference sample (infant formula). The intra-assay RSD was 4.8% (n=8), the inter-assay RSD 6.4% (n=4) and the recoveries of the spiked samples were above 95%. Application of the LC-MS method to Vitamin B5 determination in wide range of fortified food products including three US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) reference samples (RM 8435, RM 8415 and SRM 1546) shows consistent results with those obtained by microbiology and recoveries of Vitamin B5 between 93 and 104% for the spiked samples.     

Simultaneous determination of water-soluble vitamins in selected food matrices by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

A rapid, simple and sensitive method based on liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) with an electrospray ionization (ESI) source for the simultaneous analysis of fourteen water-soluble vitamins (B1, B2, two B3 vitamers, B5, five B6 vitamers, B8, B9, B12 and C) in various food matrices, i.e. maize flour, green and golden kiwi and tomato pulp, is presented here. Analytes were separated by ion-suppression reversed-phase liquid chromatography in less than 10 min and detected in positive ion mode. Sensitivity and specificity of this method allowed two important results to be achieved: (i) limits of detection of the analytes at ng g(-1) levels (except for vitamin C); (ii) development of a rapid sample treatment that minimizes analyte exposition to light, air and heat, eliminating any step of extract concentration. Analyte recovery depended on the type of matrix. In particular, recovery of the analytes in maize flour was > or =70%, with the exception of vitamin C, pyridoxal-5'-phosphate and vitamin B9 (ca 40%); with tomato pulp, recovery was > or =64%, except for vitamin C (41%); with kiwi, recovery was > or =73%, except for nicotinamide (ca. 30%).     

Determination of water-soluble vitamins in vitamin premixes,bioacitve dietary supplements,and pharmaceutical preparations using high-efficiency liquid chromatography with gradient elution

The influence of the pH and temperature of the mobile phase on the retention and separation of 14 vitamins and vitameric forms has been studied for four different stationary phases. The chromatographic conditions allowing the separation of 12 water-soluble vitamins and vitameric forms have been proposed. It has been established that the best separation of water-soluble vitamins can be achieved by employing gradient elution. The mobile phase A, (0.6% phosphoric acid) pH 1.5–1.8; mobile phase B, acetonitrile. For the separation of nicotinic and ascorbic acid it is preferable to use stationary phases Luna C18(2) and Gemini C18, while for the separation of riboflavin and riboflavin-5-phosphate the Synergy Hydro RP and Zorbaz SB-C18 stationary phases should be used. The selected conditions have been used for the determination of vitamins in commercial samples of vitamin preparations. The results are in good accordance with the producer data.     

Determination of total vitamin C in fruit juices and related products by liquid chromatography: interlaboratory study

A interlaboratory study was conducted to evaluate a liquid chromatographic (LC) procedure for the determination of total vitamin C in foods at levels of 5-60 mg/100 g. Emphasis was placed on fruit juices, although selected foods were also included in the study. Following dissolution of sample in water, endogenous dehydroascorbic acid was converted to ascorbic acid by precolumn reduction with dithiothreitol at neutral pH. Total ascorbate was determined by C18 reversed-phase LC with a phosphate eluent at pH 2.5, incorporating dithiothreitol to maintain vitamin C in the reduced form, and UV detection at 254 nm. Seven types of fruit juices and foods were tested by 19 collaborators in 7 countries. Three duplicate juices and foods met the criteria for Youden pairs and yielded repeatability relative standard deviation of 5.80-14.66%. Reproducibility relative standard deviation ranged from 6.36 to 35.54% (n = 10) with HORRAT values of 0.82-4.04. The LC method is suitable for routine use in fruit products and foods containing > 5 mg/100 g vitamin C and is recommended for further validation by AOAC INTERNATIONAL and International Fruit Juice Union.     

Determination of vitamin B12 in food products by liquid chromatography/UV detection with immunoaffinity extraction: single-laboratory validation

A fast and simple method to determine vitamin B12 in foods is presented. The method allows, in addition to the determination of added cyanocobalamin, the determination of natural vitamin B12 forms, making it also applicable to nonfortified products, especially those that are milk-based. Vitamin B12 is extracted in sodium acetate buffer in the presence of sodium cyanide (100 degrees C, 30 min). After purification and concentration with an immunoaffinity column, vitamin B12 is determined by liquid chromatography with UV detection (361 nm). The method has been validated in analyses of a large range of products: milk- and soy-based infant formulas, cereals, cocoa beverages, health care products, and polyvitamin premixes. The method showed appropriate performance characteristics: linear response over a large range of concentrations, recovery rates of 100.8 +/- 7.5% (average +/- standard deviation), relative standard deviation of repeatability, RSDr, of 2.1%, and intermediate reproducibility, RSDiR, of 4.3%. Limits of detection and quantitation were 0.10 and 0.30 microg/100 g, respectively, and correlation with the reference microbiological assay was good (R2 = 0.9442). The proposed method is suitable for the routine determination of vitamin B12 in fortified foods, as well as in nonfortified dairy products. It can be used as a faster, more selective, and more precise alternative to the classical microbiological determination.     

Reversed-phase liquid chromatographic determination of riboflavin in feeds

A method for determination of riboflavin in animal feeds using liquid chromatography (LC) was developed for feed samples fortified with riboflavin at 1 mg/lb or greater (up to 10,000 mg/lb). Feed samples were extracted in 0.1 N HCl with heating on a steam bath for 30 min, followed immediately by mechanical shaking for 30 min. Sample extracts were diluted to target volume with 2% acetic acid and filtered; riboflavin was determined by LC on a reversed-phase C18 column with 2% acetic acid-acetonitrile (85 + 15) mobile phase for separation and fluorescence detection with excitation at 460 nm and emission at 530 nm. The extraction was compared with that of the AOAC Official Method for riboflavin in food and feed premixes. The 2 method extractions were not significantly different from each other at the 95% confidence level. The developed method also had good linearity over 4 orders of magnitude, recovery of 95-99% from spiked feed samples, a limit of detection of riboflavin at 0.00034 microg/mL in solution, a limit of quantitation of 0.023 mg/lb in feed, and good ruggedness.     

Analytical procedures for water-soluble vitamins in foods and dietary supplements: a review

Water-soluble vitamins include the B-group vitamins and vitamin C. In order to correctly monitor water-soluble vitamin content in fortified foods for compliance monitoring as well as to establish accurate data banks, an accurate and precise analytical method is a prerequisite. For many years microbiological assays have been used for analysis of B vitamins. However they are no longer considered to be the gold standard in vitamins analysis as many studies have shown up their deficiencies. This review describes the current status of analytical methods, including microbiological assays and spectrophotometric, biosensor and chromatographic techniques. In particular it describes the current status of the official methods and highlights some new developments in chromatographic procedures and detection methods. An overview is made of multivitamin extractions and analyses for foods and supplements.