Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Carotenoids and Vitamins A and E in Multivitamin Tablets
Abstract Carotenoids and vitamins A and E in multivitamin tablets can be determined simultaneously by reversed-phased liquid chromatography (LC) with a programmable UV detector. Samples were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide and thenextracted with hexane. A portion was injected onto a SymmetryC18,150 × 4.6 mm id, 5 μm column and chroma tographed with a mobile phaseof acetonitrile–0.25% ammonium acetate in methanol and 0.05% triethylamine in dichloromethane. A step gradient was used. The system was operated at 25°C with a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. UV detection was at 325 nm for retinols, 285 nm for tocopherols, and 450 nm for carotenoids. Detection limits were less than 0.3 ng for retinol and retinyl acetate; 2 ng for α-tocopherol acid succinate; 10 ng for α-tocopherol, γ-tocopherol, and α-tocopherol acetate; and 0.4 ng for α-carotene and β-carotene. Intraday and interday coefficients of variation ranged from 1.40 to 5.20%. The sample preparation method and LC assay are practical for quality control and routine analysis of multivitamin tablets.