Quantitative analysis of l-ascorbic acid and erythorbic acid in foods by HPLC, and confirmation method by LC-MS/MS

Abstract

Analysis of l-ascorbic acid(AsA)and erythorbic acid(ErA)in foods is generally performed by HPLC measurement after extraction with metaphosphoric acid solution. But this method can not always measure the concentrations of AsA and ErA precisely due to the presence of interfering compounds, and the reproducibility of retention time is poor. We considered that quantitative analysis by HPLC and confirmation by LC-MS/MS using an identical extraction solvent might be an effective approach for AsA and ErA analysis. Chelate fiber was added to the sample, followed by extraction with acetic acid solution containing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt, purification with Oasis MCX, and 2-fold dilution with methanol. The resulting solution was used for quantification by HPLC using a ZIC-HILIC column and identification by LC-MS/MS. In recovery tests with 8 kinds of foods, the recovery of AsA was over 91％, and that of ErA was over 88％. The RSD was 5.1％ or less for both analytes. Analysis of 8 kinds of foods by both methods showed that this method gave better RSD values than the conventional method. AsA and ErA in all samples were confirmed by product ion scanning and selected reaction monitoring of LC-MS/MS.