Method for the Determination of β-Carotene in Supplements and Raw Materials by Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography: Single Laboratory Validation

Abstract

Abstract A single laboratory validation (SLV) study was conducted for a liquid chromatography (LC) method for the determination of total and all-trans-β-carotene in a variety of dietary supplements, including multivitamin tablets, softgels, capsules, and beadlet raw materials. Extraction variants were developed for the different types of supplements tested based upon the supplement type and level of β-carotene. Water dispersible formulations such as powders, emulsions, tablets, and capsules were enzymatically digested with protease and extracted with dichloromethane–ethanol. Oily suspensions were directly dissolved in dichloromethane–ethanol. After appropriate dilution or concentration, the extracts were chromatographed by using either a reversed-phase C18 column or, in products containing high amounts of α-carotene, a reversed-phase C30 column. The LC systems provided linear responses in the range of 0.1–50 μg β-carotene/mL. The main geometrical isomers of β-carotene (all-trans, 9-cis, 13-cis, and 15-cis) were well separated from each other and from other carotenoids such as α-carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein, lycopene, and zeaxanthin. Duplicate determinations of total β-carotene performed by 2 technicians in 8 different test materials on 5 different days resulted in relative standard deviations of 1.2–4.4%. Recoveries determined for supplements and beadlet raw material spiked with β-carotene levels of 10 μg to 100 mg/test portion and 0.2–40%, respectively, ranged from 97.5 to 102.1%. On the basis of the accuracy, precision, and recovery results from the SLV study, the method is suggested for a collaborative study on the determination of total and all-trans-β-carotene in dietary supplements.