Abstract
β-carotene as a dietary supplement is a matter of interest to anyone who seeks to improve their skin condition or sight. Due to its antioxidative properties, carotenoids are involved in the prevention of severe conditions, such as cancer, heart disease, macular degeneration, or cataract, which makes them an object of scientific study. Thanks to its color, ß-carotene is used as a food colorant, improving the appearance of foodstuff. A presented method was established for the identification and quantification of β-carotene by thin-layer chromatography with densitometric detection. As a stationary phase, TLC Aluminiumoxid 60 F254 neutral was utilized. It were activated with methanol and dried at the temperature of 60 °C for 1 h. The development was carried out in a twin trough glass chamber saturated with a mobile phase consisting of chloroform/methanol/acetone/ammonium hydroxide (10:22:53:0.2, v/v/v/v). TLC scanner was used for densitometric scanning and analysis in the absorbance mode at 450 nm. The method was validated for specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantification (LOQ). Presented method illustrates simple, economical, and suitable manner for routine quantitative and qualitative determination of β-carotene in dietary supplements and carrot juice.
Highlights
More than 600 carotenoids have been isolated in nature and the β-carotene being the best known (Faure et al 1999; Goodman 1984)
The purpose of this research was to present a rapid, precision, and accurate analytical method for the determination of β-carotene in dietary supplements and fruit juices based on a simple extraction method, as well as a Thin-layer chromatography (TLC)-densitometry technique
The mobile phase composition was established by checking the solvent mixtures of varying qualitatively and quantitatively compositions, based on the eluotropic series
Summary
More than 600 carotenoids have been isolated in nature and the β-carotene being the best known (Faure et al 1999; Goodman 1984). The structure β-carotene (Fig. 1) is conjugated hydrocarbon of eight repeating isoprene units. It is a provitamin A, being converted to vitamin A in a human body which is necessary for the proper functioning (Goodman 1984). Deficiency of vitamin A is the main cause of premature deaths in developing countries, especially among children (Burri 1997). Most programs of supplementation utilize vitamin A, its high doses can induces a teratogenic effect. It is recommended to use a rather β-carotene or eat fruits and vegetables, rich in this vitamin (De Pee et al 1995)
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