Determination of phenylalanine and tyrosine by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

Phenylketonuria is a common metabolic disorder disease. Those affected appear normal at birth, but without treatment they develop severe psychomotor retardation. Throughout life, they must control their blood levels of phenylalanine (Phe) and consume a diet containing adequate amounts of Phe and tyrosine (Tyr). We have developed a liquid chromatographic/mass spectrometric (LC/MS) method for the quantitative evaluation of Phe and Tyr in food samples. This method takes advantage of the good separation of LC and the selective and reliable quantification provided by MS in the electrospray ionization mode. The LC/MS method is very suitable for the determination of selected amino acids in various matrixes. It is sensitive to levels as low as about 0.30 ppm for Tyr and 0.70 ppm for Phe and robust. Nearly 100 nondietary food samples were analyzed by the developed method.