Determination of vitamin E isomers of grape seeds by high-performance liquid chromatography-UV detection

A simple analytical method for the determination of vitamin E isomers in grape seeds by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection is described. The method is based on a solid-liquid extraction separation on an ODS column, and the analytes are monitored at 295 nm with a UV detector. Tocopherols are extracted in n-hexane and directly injected onto the column without using any purification step, such as saponification, prior to the separation and determination. The chromatographic separation of tocopherols is achieved in 12 min with a mobile phase that consists of n-hexane and isopropyl alcohol (99.99:0.01, v/v). The method is reproducible and accurate, with respect to demonstrating a relative standard deviation between 2.57% and 3.30% (n = 10, for 500 ng/mL) and a relative error between 0.84% and 6.54% (n = 10, for 500 ng/mL), respectively. The theoretical limits are estimated as 25 ng/mL for α-tocopherol, 43 ng/mL for γ-tocopherol, and 83 ng/mL for δ-tocopherols. The method is then applied for the determination of tocopherols in grape seeds grown in Turkey. The amounts of tocopherols are calculated by using the standard addition method.