Determination of L-carnitine in milk and dairy products by hydrophilic liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract

An analytical method was developed for the determination of L-carnitine in milk and dairy products using hydrophilic interaction chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS/MS). The samples were extracted with 2% (v/v) acetic acid solution, and the protein was precipitated with acetonitrile subsequently. The separation of L-carnitine was carried out on an Acquity UPLC BEH HILIC column using ammonium acetate and acetonitrile as mobile phases. The quantification analysis of the target compound was performed under multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode by external standard method. A good linear relationship was obtained between the peak area and concentration of L-carnitine in the range of 1-100 µg/L with the correlation coefficient more than 0.99. The limit of quantification (LOQ ) of L-carnitine was 0. 01 mg/kg. The spiked recoveries were 96.0%-103.4%. The precisions (RSDs ) were 1.2%-4.3%. The sample preparation was simple and rapid, and the results were precise and sensitive. The developed method is suitable for the study of concentration of L-carnitine in milk and dairy products, and the technical support for the infant formula is provided.