An improved high performance liquid chromatographic method for thiamin analysis in foods

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Food Science
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Thiamin (vitamin B1) is an essential nutrient crucial for metabolic processes.
• Accurate quantification of thiamin in food is vital for nutritional assessment and food quality control.
• Existing methods may lack sensitivity or applicability to complex food matrices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for thiamin determination in foods.
• To establish a reliable analytical procedure for quantifying low thiamin content in diverse food samples.
• To assess the efficiency and recovery rates of the developed extraction and purification protocol.

Main Methods:

• Utilized reverse-phase ion pair chromatography with specific counterions (sodium hexanesulfonate and sodium heptanesulfonate).
• Employed UV detection at 254 nm for thiamin quantification.
• Applied acid and enzymatic extraction followed by purification steps prior to chromatographic analysis.

Main Results:

• Achieved a low detection limit of 0.5 ng/injection for thiamin.
• Successfully quantified thiamin in various food samples, including legumes, meat, and milk.
• Demonstrated high mean recovery values (97-98%) for the extraction and purification procedures.

Conclusions:

• The developed HPLC method is highly sensitive and suitable for accurate thiamin determination in a wide range of food products.
• The method's efficiency in extraction and purification ensures reliable quantification, even at low concentrations.
• This validated analytical approach contributes to improved nutritional analysis and food quality assessment.