Rapid and reliable HPLC method for the determination of vitamin C in infant foods

Silva, M.A.; Albuquerque, T.G.; Oliveira, M.B.; Costa, H.S.

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/4259

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Abstract(s)

Vitamin C, naturally present in fruits and vegetables, is an important water-soluble vitamin, and it is used as a food additive and antioxidant. For babies less than 6 months, the main sources of vitamin C are breast milk and/or infant formulas. Adequate intake of vitamin C is very important to assure children’s good health and development. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate vitamin C content in this type of foods. The aim of this study was to validate a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the determination of vitamin C in infant foods. The infant foods (infant formulas and infant cereals) were collected in 2016 from major supermarket chains in the region of Lisbon (Portugal). Samples were prepared according to manufacturer’s instructions. Separation and quantification of vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) was performed by HPLC with diode array detection (DAD), using a SynergiTM Hydro-RP analytical column (150 x 4.6 mm I.D., 4.0 μm particle size) and UV detection was achieved at 245 nm. The HPLC-DAD analytical method was validated for linearity, LOD, LOQ, precision and accuracy. Calibration curves were linear over the range 1-100 µg/mL. The mean determination coefficients (r2) was 0.9993, with RSD = 0.03%. The repeatability and intermediate precision were always lower than or equal to 0.1%. The overall recovery values at three spiking levels (10, 40 and 80 µg/mL) were 91%, 102% and 91%, respectively. The present method is rapid, specific, precise and accurate, for the quantification of vitamin C in infant foods, showing satisfactory data for all the tested parameters. Moreover, the developed analytical method will be very useful for routine laboratory use and for quality control purposes. Acknowledgements: This work was funded by INSA under the project “BIOCOMP” (2012DAN730). Tânia Gonçalves Albuquerque acknowledges the PhD fellowship (SFRH/BD/99718/2014) funded by the FCT, FSE and MEC.