The optimization of HPLC-UV conditions for use with FTIR detection in the analysis of B vitamins

The water-soluble vitamins thiamine (B(1)), riboflavin (B(2)), pantothenic acid (B(5)), and pyridoxine (B(6)) are separated by high-performance liquid chromatography. The mobile phase, column temperature, and flow rate are optimized so that the chromatograph can be used with a Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) detector. Reproducibility, linearity, and detection limits are evaluated for method validation. Finally, this method is successfully transferred to liquid chromatography-FTIR with a standard mixture.     

Ion‐pair cloud‐point extraction: A new method for the determination of water‐soluble vitamins in plasma and urine

A novel, simple, and effective ion‐pair cloud‐point extraction coupled with a gradient high‐performance liquid chromatography method was developed for determination of thiamine (vitamin B₁), niacinamide (vitamin B₃), pyridoxine (vitamin B₆), and riboflavin (vitamin B₂) in plasma and urine samples. The extraction and separation of vitamins were achieved based on an ion‐pair formation approach between these ionizable analytes and 1‐heptanesulfonic acid sodium salt as an ion‐pairing agent. Influential variables on the ion‐pair cloud‐point extraction efficiency, such as the ion‐pairing agent concentration, ionic strength, pH, volume of Triton X‐100, extraction temperature, and incubation time have been fully evaluated and optimized. Water‐soluble vitamins were successfully extracted by 1‐heptanesulfonic acid sodium salt (0.2% w/v) as ion‐pairing agent with Triton X‐100 (4% w/v) as surfactant phase at 50°C for 10 min. The calibration curves showed good linearity (r² > 0.9916) and precision in the concentration ranges of 1‐50 μg/mL for thiamine and niacinamide, 5–100 μg/mL for pyridoxine, and 0.5–20 μg/mL for riboflavin. The recoveries were in the range of 78.0–88.0% with relative standard deviations ranging from 6.2 to 8.2%.     

高效液相色谱法同时测定功能饮料中烟酰胺、咖啡因、维生素B_6、柠檬黄、胭脂红和苯甲酸的含量

建立了一种同时快速检测功能饮料中烟酰胺、咖啡因、维生素B_6、柠檬黄、胭脂红和苯甲酸6种食品添加剂的高效液相色谱方法。6种食品添加剂的检出限分别为烟酰胺0.1 mg/L,咖啡因0.1 mg/L,维生素B6 0.2 mg/L,柠檬黄0.2 mg/L,胭脂红0.1 mg/L,苯甲酸0.1 mg/L,测定结果的相对标准偏差不大于4.57%(n=6),加标回收率在95.80%~113.68%之间。该方法满足GB/T 5009.197–2003,GB/T 23495–2009和SN/T 2105–2008对于上述6种食品添加剂检出限的要求。     

Analysis of water soluble vitamins by high pressure liquid chromatography.

Resolution of the water-soluble vitamins--pyridoxin, riboflavin, niacinamide, vitamin B12, thiamin, ascorbic acid, niacin and folic acid--by high pressure liquid chromatography was examined on two bonded-phase columns, muBondapak C18 and muBondapak NH2. The effect on the retention times of individual vitamins and the separation of a multivitamin sample was determined using varying proportions of water/methanol as the eluting solvent and by addition of various salts, buffer solutions and PIC reagents to the water/methanol. Each vitamin was able to be eluted satisfactorily from muBondapak C18. It was found that seven vitamins could be resolved from a multivitamin mixture in a single analysis in several solvent systems with the total time for the analyses being always less than 40 min. With muBondapak NH2, all the vitamins except folic acid were eluted and six vitamins could be resolved from a mixture in a single analysis. The speed of analysis was greater with muBondapak NH2 with all compounds eluted in 15 min and the peaks were sharper. The order of elution was essentially the reverse of that obtained with muBondapak C18.     

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.     

Simultaneous determination of water-soluble vitamins in a vitamin-enriched drink by an in-capillary enzyme reaction method

The in-capillary enzyme reaction method was used to determine riboflavin phosphate in a vitamin-enriched drink based on its conversion to riboflavin (vitamin B2) with alkaline phosphatase. Simultaneously, three water-soluble vitamins [thiamine nitrate (vitamin B2 mononitrate), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6 hydrochloride) and nicotinamide (vitamin PP)] and anhydrous caffeine in the drink were subjected to quantitative analysis. In the system, electrophoretic migration was used to mix zones containing the substrate (riboflavin phosphate) and the enzyme (alkaline phosphatase). The reaction was then allowed to proceed in the presence of a weak electric field and, finally, the product (riboflavin) of enzyme reaction and other water-soluble vitamins migrated under the influence of an applied electric field to the detector. All the active ingredients and the formulation excipients were successfully separated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with 135 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate. To prevent inhibition of enzyme reaction by the addition of sodium dodecyl sulfate to the reaction zone, sandwich mode injection, in which plugs of sandwich solution without sodium dodecyl sulfate were introduced into the capillary on both sides of the reaction zone, was utilized as a barrier to protect the enzyme reaction from the inhibitor. The relationship between the peak area of the product and the concentration of the substrate was calculated in the in-capillary enzyme reaction method. Excellent linearity was obtained, with correlation coefficients of 0.9999. The established method was validated and demonstrated to be applicable to the determination of the five active ingredients, including riboflavin phosphate, in a commercial vitamin-enriched drink. No interference from the formulation excipients was observed. Good linearities were obtained, with correlation coefficients above 0.999. Recoveries and precisions ranged from 99.3 to 101.8%, and from 0.1 to 2.5% RSD, respectively. Good agreement was obtained between the established method and traditional high-performance liquid chromatographic methods. These results suggest that the in-capillary enzyme reaction method can be used for the simultaneous determination of riboflavin phosphate and other water-soluble vitamins in pharmaceuticals.     

Separation of water-soluble vitamins by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography with ultra-violet detection: application to polyvitaminated premixes

Nine water-soluble vitamins: [thiamine (B1), ascorbic acid (C), nicotinamide (PP), pyridoxine (B6), calcium pantothenate (B5), folic acid (B9), cyanocobalamin (B12), riboflavin (B2) and biotin (B8)] were separated on a YMC-Pack Pro C18 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm particle size) in a single run with a gradient elution of mobile phase consisting of 0.025% trifluoroacetic acid pH 2.6 (solvent A) and acetonitrile (solvent B). The separation was achieved within 17 min with a flow rate of 0.8 ml min(-1) and the detection was performed at two wavelengths (210 and 275 nm). The calibration graphs plotted with six concentrations of each vitamin were linear with a regression coefficient R2 > 0.995. The method was applied for the quantification of vitamins B1, C, PP, B6, B5, B9 B2 and B8 in polyvitaminated premixes (premixes) used for the fortification of infant nutrition products. The sample preparation involves an aqueous extraction of vitamins and two different samples dilution were used prior the LC-analysis. The specificity of the method was demonstrated by the retention characteristics, UV spectra and by comparing the peak purity with the standard of each vitamin. The repeatability of the method was evaluated at different level of concentrations on 12 premixes and the coefficients of variation (CVr) were below 6.5%. The values of the intermediate precision (CV1) were below 9.6% (n = 6). The concentrations of vitamins found in premixes with our method were comparable to the declared values, since no bias was found between the two sets of results at 95% confidence. The simplicity of the procedure should make it highly desirable for quality control of premixes in the food industry.     

Water-soluble vitamins

Simultaneous Determination of Vitamins.--Klejdus et al. described a simultaneous determination of 10 water- and 10 fat-soluble vitamins in pharmaceutical preparations by liquid chromatography-diode-array detection (LC-DAD). A combined isocratic and linear gradient allowed separation of vitamins in 3 distinct groups: polar, low-polar, and nonpolar. The method was applied to pharmaceutical preparations, fortified powdered drinks, and food samples, for which results were in good agreement with values claimed. Heudi et al. described a separation of 9 water-soluble vitamins by LC-UV. The method was applied for the quantification of vitamins in polyvitaminated premixes used for the fortification of infant nutrition products. The repeatability of the method was evaluated at different concentration levels and coefficients of variation were <6.5%. The concentrations of vitamins found in premixes with the method were comparable to the values declared. A disadvantage of the methods mentioned above is that sample composition has to be known in advance. According to European legislation, for example, foods might be fortified with riboflavin phosphate or thiamin phosphate, vitamers which are not included in the simultaneous separations described. Vitamin B2.--Vi?as et al. elaborated an LC analysis of riboflavin vitamers in foods. Vitamin B2 can be found in nature as the free riboflavin, but in most biological materials it occurs predominantly in the form of 2 coenzymes, flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin-adenine dinucleotide (FAD). Several methods usually involve the conversion of these coenzymes into free riboflavin before quantification of total riboflavin. According to the authors, there is growing interest to know flavin composition of foods. The described method separates the individual vitamers isocratically. Accuracy of the method is tested with 2 certified reference materials (CRMs). Vitamin B5.-Methods for the determination of vitamin B5 in foods are limited because of their low sensitivity and poor selectivity. Pakin et al. proposed a post-column derivatization of pantothenic acid as a fluorescent compound and used this principle in a specific and sensitive method for the determination of free and bound pantothenic acid in a large variety of foods. A French laboratory invited European laboratories to participate in a series of collaborative studies for this method, which will be carried out in 2005/2006. A more sophisticated method was described by Mittermayer et al. They developed an LC-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) method for the determination of vitamin B5 in a wide range of fortified food products. Application of the method to various samples showed consistent results with those obtained by microbiology. Vitamin B6.-Method 2004.07, an LC method for the analysis of vitamin B6 in reconstituted infant formula, was published by Mann et al. In contrast with this method, which quantifies vitamin B6 after converting the phosphorylated and free vitamers into pyridoxine, Vi?as et al. published an LC method which determines 6 vitamin B6 related compounds, the 3 B6 vitamers, their corresponding phosphorylated esters, and a metabolite. Accuracy was determined using 2 CRMs. Results were within the certified ranges. Vitamin C.-Franke et al. described an extensive study to vitamin C and flavonoid levels of fruits and vegetables consumed in Hawaii. Vitamin C was determined by measuring ascorbic acid in its reduced state by LC and coulometric detection along with UV absorbance detection at 245 nm. No attempts were made to assess levels of dehydroascorbic acid. Most recent research revealed that cell uptake of dehydroascorbic acid is unlikely to play a major role, which may explain the very low vitamin C activity of orally administered L-dehydroascorbic acid in rats. The food levels found by Franke et al. are variably lower, higher, or equal in comparison to other studies. Iwase described a method for the determination of ascorbic acid in foods using L-methionine for the pre-analysis sample stabilization. Electrochemical detection was used for the quantification. Traditionally, metaphosphoric acid was proven to be a useful dissolving agent for the determination of ascorbic acid. However, it dissolves in water very slowly, it is hygroscopic, and accurate weighing is not easy. Adjustment at pH 2-3 takes a long time. It appeared to be possible to replace metaphosphoric acid by 0.2% phosphoric acid. Methionine played an important role on the stability of ascorbic acid. The method seemed to be applicable to the routine analysis of ascorbic acid in foods. Folic Acid.-Microbiological analysis of total folate in foods is often considered as the golden standard compared to other methods based on, for example, LC. Koontz et al. showed results of total folate concentrations measured by microbiological assay in a variety of foods. Samples were submitted in a routine manner to experienced laboratories that regularly perform folate analysis fee-for-service basis in the United States. Each laboratory reported the use of a microbiological method similar to the AOAC Official Method for the determination of folic acid. Striking was, the use of 3 different pH extraction conditions by 4 laboratories. Only one laboratory reported using a tri-enzyme extraction. Results were evaluated. Results for folic acid fortified foods had considerably lower between-laboratory variation, 9-11%, versus >45% for other foods. Mean total folate ranged from 14 to 279 microg/100 g for a mixed vegetable reference material, from 5 to 70 microg/100 g for strawberries, and from 28 to 81 microg/100 g for wholemeal flour. One should realize a large variation in results, which might be caused by slight modifications in the microbiological analysis of total folate in foods or the analysis in various (unfortified) food matrixes. Furthermore, optimal combination of enzymes and reaction conditions may vary depending on the composition of the food. Padrangi and Laborde showed recently that treatment with alpha-amylase had no significant effect on measured folate in spinach, although addition of protease significantly increased the release of folate. LC/MS applications gain increasing attention because of their specificity. Rychlik used stable isotope dilution assays for the determination of the folate content of broccoli and bread. Compared to data in the literature and food data bases, amounts were significantly lower. Pawlosky et al., however, found comparable values for 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid and folic acid by HPLC analysis with fluorescent detection and HPLC/MS. Among samples analyzed were CRMs and broccoli. Besides folic acid, other water-soluble vitamins were also determined by LC/MS/MS by Leporati et al. The method was applied to the quantitative analysis of the natural content of vitamins in typical Italian pasta samples, as well as in fortified pasta samples produced for the U.S. market. Biotin.-A paper from Staggs et al. included the assertion that existing biotin data in food composition tables are inaccurate because the majority are based on bioassays with all relevant disadvantages. Data in most cases are overestimated with consequences for recommendations for dietary biotin intake. An HPLC/avidin-binding assay was used to analyze 87 foods to support the hypothesis mentioned.     

Spectrofluorimetric determination of some water-soluble vitamins

Two simple and sensitive spectrofluorimetric methods were developed for determination of three water-soluble vitamins (B1, B2, and B6) in mixtures in the presence of cyanocobalamin. The first one was for thiamine determination, which depends on the oxidation of thiamine HCl to thiochrome by iodine in an alkaline medium. The method was applied accurately to determine thiamine in binary, ternary, and quaternary mixtures with pyridoxine HCl, riboflavin, and cyanocobalamin without interference. In the second method, riboflavin and pyridoxine HCl were determined fluorimetrically in acetate buffer, pH 6. The three water-soluble vitamins (B1, B2, and B6) were determined spectrofluorimetrically in binary, ternary, and quaternary mixtures in the presence of cyanocobalamin. All variables were studied in order to optimize the reaction conditions. Linear relationship was obeyed for all studied vitamins by the proposed methods at their corresponding lambda(exc) or lambda(em). The linear calibration curves were obtained from 10 to 500 ng/mL; the correlation ranged from 0.9991 to 0.9999. The suggested procedures were applied to the analysis of the investigated vitamins in their laboratory-prepared mixtures and pharmaceutical dosage forms from different manufacturers. The RSD range was 0.46-1.02%, which indicates good precision. No interference was observed from common pharmaceutical additives. Good recoveries (97.6 +/- 0.7-101.2 +/- 0.8%) were obtained. Statistical comparison of the results with reported methods shows excellent agreement and indicates no significant difference in accuracy and precision.     

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.     

Flow-injection determination of water-soluble vitamins B1, B2, and B6 from the electrocatalytic response of a graphite electrode modified with a ruthenium(III) hexacyanoruthenate(II) film

The electrochemical behavior of water-soluble vitamins B₁, B₂, and B₆ at an unmodified graphite electrode and a graphite electrode modified with an inorganic film of ruthenium(III) hexacyanoruthenate(II) was studied. The electrocatalytic activity of the metal complex in the oxidation of vitamins was found. Ru(IV) species act as a catalyst. Conditions for recording voltammograms and hydrodynamic conditions for detecting the maximum catalytic current in flow-injection analysis (FIA) were selected. Procedures for the amperometric detection of thiamine, riboflavin, and pyridoxine were proposed.     

Homogeneous enzyme-linked competitive binding assay for riboflavin

A rapid and precise homogeneous enzyme-linked competitive binding assay for riboflavin (vitamin B₂) is described. The method utilizes a malate dehydrogenase/3-carboxymethylriboflavin conjugate in conjunction with soluble riboflavin binding protein. In the absence of the vitamin, the catalytic activity of the enzyme/riboflavin conjugate is inhibited up to 71% by the binding protein. In the presence of riboflavin, activity is regained in an amount dependent on the riboflavin concentration. The detection limits of the dose/response curves are dependent on both the degree of conjugation (average number of 3-carboxymethylriboflavins per enzyme molecule) and the reagent ratio (conjugate/binder) used in the assay tube. Under optimized conditions, a detection limit of 3 ng ml^?1 of riboflavin can be achieved with high selectivity over other vitamins and biomolecules. While malate dehedrogenase activity is inhibited to some degree by components of human urine, use of riboflavin standards prepared in a diluted urine matrix enables the method to be utilized for direct determination of urinary riboflavin.     

Quantification of water soluble vitamins in six date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivar's fruits growing in Dubai,United Arab Emirates,through high performance liquid chromatography

In present investigation, a comparative analysis of water soluble vitamins viz., B1 (thiamine HCl), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinamide), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine HCl), B9 (folic acid), B12 (cyanocobalamin) was carried out in fruits (immature, semimature and mature) of six date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars (“Barhee”, “Khalasah”, “Muzati”, “Shishi”, “Zart”, “Zardai”) growing in United Arab Emirates (UAE) by high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC). The fruits were collected at three developing stages (immature, semimature and mature). Quantitative analysis of water soluble vitamins yield showed a significant variation within the different cultivars and the developing stages of date palm fruit. Vitamin B1, B3, B5, B6 were maximum (μg/100 g f.w.) in “Shishi”, “Zardai”, “Shishi” and “Muzati” at their matured stage, however, vitamin B2, B9, B12 were detected in immature fruit of “Khalasah”, “Khalasah” and “Shishi” cultivars. The vitamin production in fruits of different date palm cultivars was, therefore, developing stage specific and cultivar dependent. The present study showed that the date palm fruit could be used for human consumption with value addition of water soluble vitamins at their specific developmental stages.     

高效液相色谱分离-在线光化学衍生/荧光光谱法测定5种水溶性维生素的研究

建立了高效液相色谱分离-在线光化学衍生/荧光光谱法测定水溶性维生素烟酸(NIA)、烟酸胺(NIC)、B1、B12及B2的新方法.以含有0.018 mol/L三乙胺、0.002 mol/L庚烷磺酸钠的0.05 mol/L磷酸盐缓冲液(A相,pH 5.8)和甲醇(B相)为流动相(85:15),等度洗脱分离5种水溶性维生素;...     

Quantification of Niacin and Niacinamide in Vitamin Preparations by Densitometric Thin Layer Chromatography

Abstract

A densitometric TLC method was developed for the determination of the B-3 vitamins niacin and niacinamide in commercial vitamin preparations. The method involves removal of excipients by ethanol precipitation, separation of the vitamins by high performance TLC on phosphor-containing silica gel layers, and in situ scanning of sample and standard zones. The per cent recoveries for niacinamide in vitamin products were 96 to 104% and for niacinamide added to products 99 and 102%. Recoveries of added niacin were 99 to 102%, but recoveries of niacin in products ranged from 0 to 74% of the label values. Additional ingredients did not interfere with the determination.     

Nanocrystalline Metallosilicate Modified Electrodes for the Simultaneous,Sensitive, and Selective Determination of Riboflavin,Rutin, and Pyridoxine

Nanocrystalline metallosilicate modified glassy carbon electrodes were fabricated for the simultaneous determination of vitamins. Among these, nanocrystalline zirconosilicate exhibited the highest activity with a linear range from 30 nM–500 µM for riboflavin and 120 nM–600 µM for rutin and pyridoxine. Sensitivity values of 2.8, 1.49, and 1.13 µA/µM cm² and lower detection limits of 5 nM, 30 nM, and 30 nM for riboflavin, rutin, and pyridoxine, respectively, were found. The proposed sensor is stable and reproducible (RSD<3.5 %). The analytical performance of this sensor was demonstrated in the pharmaceutical preparations (multivitamin tablets) with satisfactory recovery (97–103 %).     

高效液相色谱法同时测定扁桃仁中的水溶性维生素C,B1,B2和B6

建立了用高效液相色谱同时测定扁桃仁中4种水溶性维生素C,B1,B2和B6的方法。以酸水解法处理样品,在Inertsil ODS-3柱(25 cm×4.6 mm i.d., 5.0 μm)上,以0.05 mol/L KH2PO4 (pH 6.0)-甲醇(体积比为70∶30)为流动相进行等度洗脱,检测波长265 nm条件下,对陕西蒲城扁桃仁中的水溶性维生素C,B1,B2和B6的含量进行了同时测定。4种水溶性维生素在其质量浓度为5.0~50 mg/L时线性良好(r=0.9990~0.9997);添加水平为5.0~20.0 mg/kg时,平均回收率为91.77%～99.30%,相对标准偏差(n=3)为0.31%～1.98%。测得陕西蒲城产扁桃仁中维生素B2的含量为4.27～4.53 mg/kg,维生素B1的含量为0.799～0.838 mg/kg,未检出维生素C和维生素B6。该法简便、快速,准确性和重现性均较好,对果仁中水溶性维生素的测定具有一定的参考价值。     

Detection of flavins by liquid chromatography using an electrochemical detector with two electrodes in series

A liquid chromatographic method for the selective detection of riboflavin (vitamin B₂) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) utilizing a thin-layer amperometric detector with two electrodes in series is described. The upstream electrode was held at ?0.4 V (vs. SCE) with the downstream electrode at +0.1 V (vs. SCE). The linear ranges are 40 ng?10 μg for riboflavin and 200 ng?8 μg for FAD and the limits of detection are 8 and 40 ng, respectively. The interference of thirteen different vitamins on the spectrophotometric or electrochemical detection of FAD and vitamin B₂ was studied and no interference was found using the two-electrode detector. The effects of light on riboflavin and FAD is discussed. The method is convenient, rapid and economic, and has high selectivity.     

Spectrophotometric determination of ternary mixtures of thiamin, riboflavin and pyridoxal in pharmaceutical and human plasma by least-squares support vector machines.

Ternary mixtures of thiamin, riboflavin and pyridoxal have been simultaneously determined in synthetic and real samples by applications of spectrophotometric and least-squares support vector machines. The calibration graphs were linear in the ranges of 1.0 - 20.0, 1.0 - 10.0 and 1.0 - 20.0 microg ml(-1) with detection limits of 0.6, 0.5 and 0.7 microg ml(-1) for thiamin, riboflavin and pyridoxal, respectively. The experimental calibration matrix was designed with 21 mixtures of these chemicals. The concentrations were varied between calibration graph concentrations of vitamins. The simultaneous determination of these vitamin mixtures by using spectrophotometric methods is a difficult problem, due to spectral interferences. The partial least squares (PLS) modeling and least-squares support vector machines were used for the multivariate calibration of the spectrophotometric data. An excellent model was built using LS-SVM, with low prediction errors and superior performance in relation to PLS. The root mean square errors of prediction (RMSEP) for thiamin, riboflavin and pyridoxal with PLS and LS-SVM were 0.6926, 0.3755, 0.4322 and 0.0421, 0.0318, 0.0457, respectively. The proposed method was satisfactorily applied to the rapid simultaneous determination of thiamin, riboflavin and pyridoxal in commercial pharmaceutical preparations and human plasma samples.     

Simultaneous square-wave voltammetric determination of riboflavin and folic acid in pharmaceutical preparations

The square-wave voltammetric (SWV) behaviour of riboflavin and folic acid was studied at a static mercury drop electrode by square wave voltammetry. In 0.05M KCl (pH 5.89) a cathodic scan gave peaks at — 0.56 and — 0.87 V vs. Ag/AgCl for riboflavin and folic acid, respectively. The reduction peak currents are linearly dependent on the concentration of vitamins. Both vitamins can be simultaneously determined from the same voltammogram. The method proposed for the determination of riboflavin and folic acid in multivitamin tablets is very simple, rapid and does not involve time-consuming separation steps. The average contents of riboflavin and folic acid were found to be 14.8 ± 1.26% and 1.46 ± 2.66%, for tablet A and 9.86 ±1.40% and 1.47 ± 2.0% for tablet B, respectively.