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Determination of phenylalanine and tyrosine by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry
Saimo Andrensek1, Alenka Golc-Wondra, Mirko Prosek
1National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Insights
Phenylketonuria (PKU) requires lifelong dietary management of phenylalanine (Phe) and tyrosine (Tyr). A new liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) method accurately quantifies these amino acids in food, aiding PKU patient diets.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a common metabolic disorder requiring strict dietary control.
- Individuals with PKU must manage blood levels of phenylalanine (Phe) and ensure adequate tyrosine (Tyr) intake.
- Accurate quantification of Phe and Tyr in food is crucial for managing PKU diets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a liquid chromatographic/mass spectrometric (LC/MS) method.
- To enable quantitative evaluation of phenylalanine (Phe) and tyrosine (Tyr) in diverse food samples.
- To support dietary management for individuals with Phenylketonuria (PKU).
Main Methods:
- Utilized liquid chromatography (LC) for separation.
- Employed mass spectrometry (MS) with electrospray ionization for selective quantification.
- Established a sensitive and robust LC/MS method for amino acid analysis.
Main Results:
- The developed LC/MS method demonstrated high sensitivity, detecting Tyr at ~0.30 ppm and Phe at ~0.70 ppm.
- The method proved robust and suitable for analyzing various food matrices.
- Nearly 100 non-dietary food samples were successfully analyzed.
Conclusions:
- The LC/MS method provides accurate and reliable quantification of Phe and Tyr in food.
- This analytical technique is valuable for assessing dietary intake in Phenylketonuria (PKU) management.
- The method supports the creation of safe and nutritionally adequate diets for PKU patients.
Abstract:
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.
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