Abstract:

Objective: To develop a rapid reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method for measuring retinyl esters in infant formula milk powder. Methods: Samples were directly extracted with a mixture of dichloromethane and methanol (2.5:1, V/V). The chromatographic separation was performed at 30 ℃ in the isocratic elution mode using a mobile phase composed of a mixture of methanol and chloroform (80:20, V/V). Results: Retinyl acetate and retinyl palmitate presented average spike recoveries of 6 replicates at 2 levels of 100.1% and 102.8%, with relative standard deviations of 1.18% and 0.96%, respectively. The detection limits for retinyl acetate and retinyl palmitate were 3.1 ng and 4.3 ng, respectively. Conclusion: The method demonstrates simplicity and high precision, recovery and sensitivity, and thus has promising potential for practical applications.

Key words: retinyl esters, infant formula milk powder, reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography