HPLC analysis of vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12 and vitamin C in various food matrices

Abstract

Various methods had been described for the analysis of vitamins in food matrices, with more and more of these including the use of HPLC to measure the levels of these micronutrients in foodstuffs. The renewed interest in rapid and accurate quantification of micronutrients in foodstuffs is due to more stringent requirements by food regulatory agencies around the world. Legislation now demands that the nutrition information displayed on food labels be backed up by reliable results obtained using validated analyses. Three challenges are common in terms of quantifying vitamins in food matrices: 1) extraction techniques that are sufficiently effective to liberate the various forms of the vitamin from each unique matrix, 2) ensuring that labile forms of the vitamin are protected against degeneration by light and/or air (oxygen) for a sufficiently long period to afford accurate quantification and 3) obtaining an analytical method with sufficient sensitivity, selectivity, accuracy and precision, with cost and time also being considerations . The chapter dealt with these aspects concerning vitamin B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12 and vitamin C. Extraction procedures were described, as well as typical HPLC methods and recent improvements in this field.